


Akuma of Oz

by ghostlyhamburger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Podfic Welcome, Wizard of Oz AU, adrienette is endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-01-24 09:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 23,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21336238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlyhamburger/pseuds/ghostlyhamburger
Summary: Marinette was sure that she was getting over Adrien and moving on--until an akuma attack sends her, along with her friends, to the land of Oz. Secrets are revealed and an adventure is had! A Wizard of Oz AU.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 153
Kudos: 295





	1. It's a Twister!

Marinette was crying in the bathroom again.

All the girls at Francois Dupont knew what was going on. They’d all heard her sobs.

A week ago, Adrien had posted on his official Instagram that he was dating Kagami. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, but Alya and Mylene had been with Marinette when the news broke, and according to them, the poor girl just crumbled.

She put on a brave face, told her friends that no, really, she understood that Adrien could love whoever he wanted and it was okay they were just friends. She managed to cover up her pain during class or whenever she hung out with a group.

But when she was either alone, or just around the girls, she cried. A fresh wave of hurt would wash over her, and the pieces of her heart that she was desperately holding together would shatter all over again.

Alya had once asked her why she didn’t just date Luka, and she’d replied, “Luka’s a nice guy, but he deserves to be more than a rebound. If I still like him when I get over Adrien, then I’ll date him. And I think he knows that, he’s said he doesn’t want to push me.”

Alya didn’t totally believe her. There was no way any guy was going to wait that long. But she didn’t want to say that.

Even Chloe had been surprisingly kind to Marinette. They weren’t exactly friends, but Chloe had sat with her when no one else was around and let her cry on her shoulder.

While Marinette was alone, crying, Alya gathered all the girls—minus Chloe—to one lunch table to discuss Operation Cheer Up Marinette.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” Lila said, pure sympathy on her face. “I’ve had my heart broken before when XY dumped me right before he got famous—it just takes time to get over it. We should give her space.”

“I think she needs her friends,” Alix said firmly. “We need more girl time. Guys suck, anyways.”

“Let’s have a sleepover this weekend,” Alya suggested. “We’ll all go and spend time with her and watch some bad movies and _none of us_ will talk about Adrien. Or dating.”

The girls all nodded. “Poor Marinette,” Rose mused. “She really doesn’t deserve this.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Alya agreed. “Trust me, if she hadn’t asked me not to do anything, Sunshine Boy would’ve been in a world of hurt. How could he be so stupid? Kagami has nothing on Marinette!”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Juleka mumbled. Only Rose heard her, and gently squeezed her hand.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Alya said, abruptly standing from the table. “Figure out where we can do a sleepover? I’ll make sure she knows about it and is in a better mood before class.”

**

Marinette wiped her eyes and ran a paper towel under cold water before pressing it to her face, under her eyes, on her nose. The redness faded from her skin, hiding signs of her distress.

She was hungry. She’d probably feel better after actually eating her lunch. She just had to get out there and face people. Adrien probably wasn’t even there—he’d probably gone to a photo shoot or something over the lunch break, or just had to go home.

She knew, in the back of her mind, there was a _very strong possibility_ that he was having a lunch date with Kagami, but she refused to focus on that. She didn’t want to keep crying.

Suddenly, the floor beneath her feet shook, sending her tumbling to the floor. “Tikki!” she cried. “Spots—”

Another tremor suddenly hit, and the soap dispenser fell off the wall, bouncing against the sink and hitting her on the forehead. Everything went black.

**

Marinette woke up in a bedroom she didn’t recognize. The lighting was dim, but she could make out that she was sitting on a bed, and across the room there was a wooden dresser with a mirror. It seemed like nothing else was in the room.

She stood, cautiously, and felt fabric brushing around her legs. She looked down to realize she was wearing a dress that she most definitely had not been wearing that morning—knee-length, a-line, _red with black spots_.

She hadn’t completed her transformation. She’d gotten knocked out first. So this couldn’t be a bizarre version of her Ladybug outfit, right? She felt her face, realizing that her hands were bare and no mask rested on her brow.

Panicked, her hands flew to her earlobes. She felt nothing there. She rushed over to the mirror to double-check, and found that the jewels had somehow been _combined_ with her ears, imprinted on her earlobes like small tattoos.

“Tikki?” she called tentatively. When there was no answer, she tried, “Spots off.”

Nothing happened.

She was certain by this point that this was the work of an akuma—she just couldn’t figure out what _this_ was. She stared at her reflection, hoping that it would magically show her the answers.

She heard something behind her, saw a black shape in the mirror moving beside the bed. She heard a groan, and her eyes widened, the voice already sounding familiar.

“Marinette?” the other person asked, and yep, that was Adrien. The situation just got a _lot_ more complicated.

She turned to look at him, a thousand excuses dancing on the tip of her tongue, but her voice died when she saw him clearly.

He wore a black leather suit, an _extremely familiar_ suit, with a belt wrapping around like a tail and cat ears perched on top of his head. It _had_ to be a coincidence, the akuma must have changed his clothes like it changed hers.

But his eyes were equally wide, with unmistakable green sclera glinting in the dim light.

“My Lady?”


	2. Not in Paris Anymore

“Chat Noir?” Marinette asked, unable to believe her eyes. This was undeniably Chat Noir before her, but without his mask—there was no mistaking it. “Are—are you—have you been Adrien this whole time?”

She winced. That was a stupid question.

He just nodded, looking as dumbfounded as her. “And you’re—how did I never notice?”

“We weren’t…we _aren’t_ supposed to know,” she said. Her voice was soft as a thousand emotions tumbled through her mind. “This can’t be happening. You can’t be Adrien. This just—_no!_”

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape, a distraction. She saw a closed door and hurriedly opened it, blinking as bright light and colors washed over the room. She stepped outside, not even caring about the unfamiliar environment around her, and _ran_, until she stumbled on a decorative stone terrace by a fountain. She caught herself just in time to sit on the edge of the fountain, and she cried.

She’d had a chance. She _knew_ Chat loved her, and she kept brushing him off for _himself_! And now he’d moved on and her chance was gone forever…she didn’t know how many times her heart could keep breaking.

She held her head in her hands and sobbed. How was she going to solve this, how was she going to be _Ladybug_, when she couldn’t even face her partner without breaking down?

**

Adrien didn’t know what just happened.

First of all, he’d woken up in a strange house as Chat Noir, though he hadn’t transformed, and he wore no mask. Then, on top of that, _Ladybug_ was there, wearing a strange dress, and also no mask.

And Ladybug was Marinette.

It made sense. Of course she was Marinette. Of course one of the girls he’d been crushing on was the same girl he’d been in love with this whole time.

And of course, with his bad luck, he’d chosen the other girl.

It’s not like he’d made a mistake. He liked Kagami, and she liked him. Marinette _didn’t_ like him, not like that, she’d made that clear as both herself and as Ladybug. But he thought they were at least friends, at least they worked well as partners. Knowing who they are should be a good thing—now they could be better friends and partners!

So why did she run when she recognized him? Why did she look like she was crying?

He shoved his emotions aside and headed out the still open door. If Ladybug was upset about something, then he’d have to be the one to step up and deal with the akuma. And the first part of that was figuring out just where they were.

He blinked in the bright light, taking a moment to adjust. The landscape was filled with bright colors everywhere, and for a moment it was just too much to take in. But then he got used to the light, and he saw that he was in the middle of a village of tiny houses. Strange plants grew all around, often towering the structures. On the ground was a spiraling yellow brick road.

He started to have a hunch of where he was, impossible though it seemed. The room he’d just left was actually a small house, and sticking out from underneath it were a pair of legs, wearing ruby red slippers dotted with black spots. He hoped there wasn’t a real person under there.

The diminutive village was eerily quiet. He could hear the sounds of birds chirping, and…someone sobbing? He followed the sound until he saw Ladybug, her head in her hands, sitting at the edge of a fountain.

“Hey,” he said, sitting down beside her. He raised a hand, wanting to touch her, to comfort her, but thought better of it and dropped his hand back down. “I, uh—I think I figured out where we are, but…do you want to talk?”

She shook her head, not looking up. She dropped her hands away from her face, though, and he could see her eyes lined with red, streams of tears marking her cheeks. And at that moment, he stopped thinking of her as Ladybug—this was _Marinette_, his _friend_, and she was hurting.

“I’m sorry if you’re disappointed,” he said softly. “I’m mostly just surprised that I didn’t know it was you—you’ve always been amazing, Marinette, I should’ve seen it before.”

She took in a gulping gasp of air as her eyes filled with tears again. She blinked, and the tears were forced out, rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not—I’m not disappointed,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just…I can’t _say_ what it is! Can we drop it and just…focus on fixing this?”

He frowned. He understood that she was always a secretive person, but now that he knew who she was…should there really be any more secrets between them?

At the same time, he knew that his Lady was _incredibly_ stubborn when she wanted to be, and he could see when he needed to back off. So instead of pushing, he just gently took her hand in his and said, “Okay. You know I’m here to listen if you want me to. We’re partners, after all.”

A biting retort was on the tip of her tongue, some sarcastic comment about how could she really consider him a partner when he’d chosen someone else? But before she said anything, she glanced over at him.

Suddenly, she wasn’t seeing Adrien next to her, wasn’t concerned with the fact that she was crying and looked like a mess. Instead, she saw Chat, her partner, her _friend_, sincerely worried about her.

She shut her eyes for a moment, focusing on breathing. In, out. In, out.

Adrien waited patiently, never letting go of her hand. His thumb absently stroked her palm as he watched her.

“Okay,” she said finally, her voice wavering but clear. “You said you know where we are. So…where?”

“It’s gonna sound crazy,” he replied. “But I think—Oz?”

“Oz,” she repeated in a flat tone. “As in, the wizard of.”

He nodded. “We were in a house that apparently landed on someone wearing ruby slippers, and there’s a yellow brick road. I think the akuma created Oz.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “An akuma illusion. That makes sense. But, Chat—have you tried transforming?”

He frowned, and pulled back from Marinette. Her hand suddenly felt cold.

“Claws in,” Adrien said. A moment passed, and nothing happened. He looked at his hands, flexing his fingers as he thought. “Cataclysm?”

His hand erupted in black fire, the familiar feeling of destruction coursing through his veins. He grinned. “Well, at least one thing’s working right.” He plunged his hand into the fountain, boiling the water away as the cataclysm dissipated.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. “I hadn’t even thought to try that. I tried detransforming and then got distracted by—well, finding out you were _you_.”

Adrien’s grin vanished. “I know I’m not what you expected,” he muttered. “This doesn’t have to change things, right? We’re…still friends?”

“Of course we are!” she replied instantly. “Don’t you dare think for a _second_ that I’m upset with you, Chaton.”

She wished she could be mad at him. It would make things so much easier. But her heart melted when he smiled again and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. She tried to control her blush, but couldn’t help the small squeak that came out of her mouth.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Bugaboo,” he murmured, and she wanted to cry again.

“You’d be fine,” she said softly, forcing herself to pull away from his embrace. “You’re a hero, too. I know you’d be okay.”

He smiled and stood up, glancing around the area. “Okay, Dorothy,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.” He suddenly took off, walking quickly back towards the house.

She stood, brushed off her skirt, and followed him. “Why am I Dorothy?”

“You’ve got the dress,” he pointed out. “And the cute animal companion!”

She wrinkled her nose. “You’re saying you’re the _dog_?”

“Well, cat, but yeah,” he said. He knelt by the feet sticking out from under the house and started to pull of the shoes. “Call me Toto! Or…Nono, because Noir? I’ll keep working on it.”

Once the shoes were off the squished legs, they withered and curled under the house. Adrien turned and presented the shoes to Marinette, who gave him a confused look. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Put them on,” he replied. “Then click your heels and say there’s no place like home. You’ve seen the movie, right?”

“It’s been a while,” she admitted, but she slipped off the shoes she wore anyways. She stepped into the ruby slippers, and stood on her toes, clicking her heels together. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Nothing happened.

“Damn, I really thought that would work,” Adrien muttered.

“Dude, you’ve gotta go through the story,” a disembodied voice replied to him. A large soap bubble floated through the air, coming down from the sky above them. It popped in front of Adrien, revealing Nino as he’d only seen him once before—as the Bubbler.

Okay, maybe there was reason to be worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how popular the Wizard of Oz is in France, but Nino references it in at least the English dub of one episode, so I'm going with the idea that most of these kids will have some familiarity with the story.


	3. And Your Little Cat, Too!

Marinette and Adrien immediately shifted their stances on seeing the Bubbler, both prepared to battle, but he just held up his hands in surrender. “Dudes! Chill! It’s just me!”

“Nino?” Adrien asked. “You look like—”

“Like when I was akumatized, I know,” Nino replied. He glanced down at himself in disgust. “I don’t even _like_ fashion and I know this looks awful. Man, fuck Hawkmoth.”

“What did you mean by we have to follow the story?” Marinette asked, relaxing slightly. “How do you know that?”

Nino just shrugged. “I have _no idea_. I don’t know where we are, or how I got here, or even _what_ story, I just know I was supposed to come here and tell Ladybug and Chat Noir to follow the story.” He brought his hand up to his head and gently rapped his knuckles against the costumed bubble resting on top of it. “Everything’s all screwed up in my head right now. I’m just following what I know and you guys will fix it.”

“You’re not even surprised, finding out who we are?” Adrien asked.

Nino shook his head. “You two are always running off every time there’s an akuma. I was already pretty sure it was you, I just didn’t bother looking into it. What happened to your masks, anyways?”

They both just shrugged.

“I guess it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Oh, cool, you already got the shoes! So now I’m feeling like I gotta stay here for…_something_ to happen.”

Marinette glanced at Adrien, her mind in total Ladybug mode, ready to ask him for his input on some kind of a plan. But seeing his face, the brilliant smile that could light up a room as he talked with Nino, she felt like lovestruck Marinette all over again. And lovestruck Marinette led to broken heart Marinette…

Nope. No. She needed to snap out of it. She needed to _stop_ being Marinette for a while and just be Ladybug. Ladybug trusted her partner, and more importantly, _had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever_.

She took a deep breath. “Chat,” she addressed him, unable to use his actual name. “You know the story, right? What do we do next?”

“Head to the Emerald City, I guess,” he replied. “But the whole thing ends up being a wild goose chase, in the end the key to Dorothy getting home is the shoes.”

“Well, it sounds like we’ve got to go through all of it anyways,” she said, frowning. “Follow the yellow brick road, right?”

“Oh!” Nino suddenly interjected. “I get it now! This is Oz, and I’m…am I fucking Glinda?”

Adrien laughed. “I guess your akuma form is better than a pink poofy dress, right?”

“Definitely,” he agreed. “So then, who’s the wicked witch?”

A puff of smoke suddenly erupted from the ground nearby.

“Looks like we’re about to find out,” Adrien said.

Marinette had a few guesses, and she was proven exactly right when the smoke dissipated, revealing a girl in a bright orange fox-themed suit—close to what Rena Rouge wore, but just different enough to be recognizable. “Volpina.”

“Hello again, Ladybug,” the villain said sweetly. “It’s so nice to be wearing the suit again—seems Hawkmoth realized I make a better Fox hero than your friend.”

“You’re literally the Wicked Witch,” Adrien pointed out.

She turned to face him. “Adrien? No wonder you always believed goody two-shoes Ladybug. And _you_-” she said, turning back to Marinette. “I always wondered where I messed up, why you hated me so much. I guess I know now! It’s such a shame all your _friends_ just think you’re jealous.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Nino asked. “Aren’t you her friend?”

Lila glanced at him. “Who are you?”

“That’s Nino,” Adrien filled in.

“The one you _claimed_ you’d introduce to a famous director,” Marinette added.

Nino’s face fell slightly as he said, “Wait…_were_ you just lying about that? Because you’re definitely not Ladybug’s best friend.”

“I—I mean—you know I have that condition that makes me say things sometimes!” she bluffed. “I never meant to hurt you!”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re a _saint_. That’s why you’re cast as the villain in this story.”

“How do I know _you’re_ not the one who decided that?” Lila asked, pointing her flute at the other girl. “After all, you’re the hero? Who would come up with that?”

Marinette inhaled sharply, then shut her eyes and breathed out slowly. “Follow the yellow brick road, right? Let’s just go.” She walked past Lila, her shoulder hitting the liar’s as she refused to move around her.

“Good luck,” Nino commented to Adrien as he followed his partner. “You’ve got this, dude.”

“You’re not as good a person as you think, Marinette!” Lila cried, losing her cool. She stepped in Adrien’s path and added to him, “Just ask her how many times she’s lied to you, or about all the times she’s _stalked_ you because of her pathetic little crush.”

Adrien just laughed, but the sound was empty. “There’s no way Marinette has a crush on me. She likes Luka. I’m just lucky to be her friend.” He walked around Lila and headed down the path.

“Dude, that wasn’t cool,” Nino commented. “I mean, he’s never going to realize the truth anyways, but you don’t need to just out Marinette like that.”

“Bite me, Bubble Boy.”

**

“Hey,” Adrien said when he caught up to Marinette. “Don’t let her get to you. Of _course_ you’re the hero of the story. You’re Ladybug!”

“She _won’t_ get to me,” Marinette replied, balling her hands into fists. “But she _can_ and I hate it. I had to leave before she got into my head again.”

“Smart,” he said, falling into an easy rhythm walking by her side. “She is…definitely incredibly annoying.”

“How do you stand her?” she asked. “You know she’s lying but you’ve done photoshoots with her…”

A look of disgust briefly crossed his face. “That was _not_ my decision,” he said. “I only agreed to it so that she’d take back her lies and you could come back to school.”

Marinette stopped in her tracks, gaping at him. “You put up with her—for _me?_”

“Of course,” he replied with a grin. “You’re one of my best friends.”

It was so not fair that he could just tug at her emotions like that, put her heart on a roller coaster. But still, knowing that he cared, even if it wasn’t the way she _wanted_ him to care, put a smile on her face.

They walked in silence for a while, until Marinette noticed that Adrien was humming something.

“Is that…the song from the movie?” she asked.

He gave her a sheepish smile. “Yeah.”

“You want to sing it, don’t you?”

“…yeah.”

“Go ahead.”

“_Weeeeee’re off to see the Wizard!_” he belted out, the sound traveling far across the empty fields surrounding the road. “_The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!_”

“We hear he is something of a Wiz if something something something there was,” she chimed in. She wasn’t particularly _proud_ of her singing voice, and she didn’t really know the words, but Adrien had a way of making her want to join whatever he was doing.

Come to think of it, Chat also had that quality—she just always saw it as annoying in him because she _couldn’t_ joke or pun during akuma battles.

Suddenly, he grabbed her arm, looping his elbow in hers. “We gotta do the skip,” he said with a grin.

“The…skip?”

He nodded eagerly. “Like this!” he said, trying to tug her along as he demonstrated. He stepped forward, rocked back on his heel, and then took a small hop forward.

She tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground. She threw out her free hand to stop herself from bashing her face on the bricks, but Adrien was faster. His Chat reflexes took over and he managed to twist the both of them during the fall so that he landed on his back, Marinette on his chest.

She didn’t realize her hand was flat on his chest until she used it to push herself up. Then she froze, her face just inches away from Adrien’s, his eyes filled with concern. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

Without thinking, he reached up to brush a stray piece of hair out of her face, his fingers lightly trailing along her cheek.

She scrambled away from him, squeaking out, “I’m fine!” while turning away so he wouldn’t see her face turn bright red. She didn’t notice that he was also blushing as he stood up, also unable to look towards her.

It didn’t matter that Marinette looked beautiful when she was surprised, her eyes wide and her lips parted slightly. It didn’t matter that he’d been close enough to kiss her. Because, he had to remind himself, _she wasn’t interested_.

And he had Kagami. A pang of guilt shot through him. Shouldn’t his girlfriend have been his first thought? Maybe it was just still the shock of learning Ladybug’s identity that had him thrown off. Everything was being turned upside down since the akuma hit, anyways.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and turned back towards Marinette. “So, no skipping?”

She smiled slightly. “No skipping.”


	4. Consultin' with the Rain

Marinette and Adrien walked along the yellow brick road together, the empty fields around them turning to tall fields of corn. Adrien was still humming every so often, but neither of them wanted to try skipping again.

Eventually, they came to a crossroads.

“Isn’t this road supposed to go only one way?” Marinette asked, confused.

Adrien, however, was grinning. “I know where we are, don’t worry. The question now is—who’s the Scarecrow?”

“Hello?” a small voice cried from inside the corn. “Is someone there?”

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a glance before heading into the stalks of corn to find who had spoken.

“I’m over here!” the voice called. “I’m trapped!”

Marinette pushed aside the corn to discover Princess Fragrance, tied to a pole with her arms outstretched. “Oh my God,” she said. “Rose?”

Rose just nodded. “I don’t know where I am or why I look like this, but can you please help me?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” Marinette replied, hurriedly untying the rope that held her up. “Sheesh, this akuma is sadistic!”

Rose just smiled gratefully as she was let down, and rubbed her arms to work out any stiffness. “That’s much better, thank you!”

“So, you must be the Scarecrow,” Adrien mused as he pushed through the corn to join the girls. “Honestly, I kind of expected Mr. Pigeon, but you’re much better company.”

“Thanks, Chat Noir!” Rose chirped before taking a second glance at him. She gasped. “You’re…you’re Adrien?”

He just nodded. “Masks got lost when we came here, so everyone’s learning identities today, apparently.”

Rose whirled around to take a better look at Marinette. “You’re Ladybug, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t tell you…”

“Don’t be!” Rose said happily. “I get it, it’s just cool that you two are superheroes! And it’s so sweet, everyone _knows_ Chat Noir is in love with Ladybug, it’s like you two are soulmates!”

Adrien glanced away awkwardly, while Marinette flushed. “Uh, Rose, can I talk to you for a second?” She grabbed the smaller girl’s arm and pulled her deeper into the corn.

“I haven’t told him how I feel,” she confessed. “Finding out who he is doesn’t change the fact that he’s still dating Kagami. I’m not going to burden him by telling him how I feel _now_.”

Rose frowned. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, what if you _are_ soulmates?”

“I don’t think soulmates exist,” Marinette replied, her voice sorrowful. “It doesn’t matter, anyways. Can you just…keep it a secret, please?”

Rose nodded firmly. “Okay. But I still think you two can work it out if you just talk!”

“Uh, should we get going?” Adrien called through the corn. “Rose, you’re coming with us, right?”

“Um, sure?” Rose called back, shooting a questioning look at Marinette.

“Somehow, we’ve ended up in the Wizard of Oz,” she explained. “And apparently you’re the Scarecrow.”

“Oh, I used to love that movie!” Rose replied, her eyes lighting up. “Are we in the musical? Has there been singing?”

“Just Adrien,” Marinette replied, a small grin playing on her lips. “So, are you coming with us?”

“Of course!”

**

The trio walked along the road together. Rose had no end of questions about the superhero life, and Adrien kept trying to teach the girls how to do the skipping sort of dance from the movie. Marinette flat out refused to try again, but Rose picked it up pretty quickly.

They made their way out of the cornfields and back to wide open spaces when suddenly a puff of orange smoke appeared on the road in front of them, and Volpina stepped out.

“What do you want now, Lila?” Marinette asked, already completely _done_ with her. “I thought you weren’t supposed to show up again till you get melted.”

She just smiled a sickly sweet grin. “What, you thought I was going to make things _easy_ for you? I’ve recruited a little help!” She played her flute and another figure appeared beside her. Chloe stood there, her expression blank, her outfit the twisted costume of Queen Wasp.

“Oh no, Chloe!” Rose cried. “Lila, what’s going on?”

Marinette didn’t react. “Seriously? She’s clearly an illusion. We literally just saw you make that.”

Adrien nodded. “And it’s not like your illusions can hurt us.”

“Oh, _she_ might be fake,” Lila replied with a shrug, “but her powers aren’t.”

The illusion of Chloe raised her arm, her expression never changing, and a faint buzzing sound could be heard. A black cloud appeared on the horizon, seeming to race towards the group.

“Have fun!” Lila chirped before vanishing in her orange smoke again. The illusion faded a second later.

“What’s wrong with Lila?” Rose asked, concerned.

“I’ll explain later,” Marinette mumbled, her eyes on the growing cloud. The buzzing was increasing in volume, becoming almost deafening.

“We don’t have our weapons,” Adrien said, as if he was just re-realizing that fact. “Marinette, Rose, _run!_”

The three turned and fled from the cloud, which they could now see was composed of thousands of angry wasps.

“Is there any water around?” Marinette asked.

Adrien shook his head as he ran. “No, I—” His words were cut off as his foot got caught on a single loose brick, causing him to trip, falling towards the ground.

Marinette reacted on instinct, seeing her partner in trouble. She quickly changed her course so she ran towards Adrien, holding him around the waist as she picked him up from the ground. She reached to her side for her yo-yo, intending to swing them to safety, only to realize a moment too late that it wasn’t there.

“Shit!” she muttered, her eyes growing wide with fear as she realized she had no plan, no escape route, no way to stop the bees—

Rose suddenly darted between them and the oncoming cloud, crying out, “_Go away!_” She held up her perfume bottle, her akumatized weapon, and sprayed the bees, enveloping them all in a mist. Instantly, they stopped.

They buzzed in a sort of sing-song way in perfect unison before harmlessly dispersing and flying away.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, then felt Adrien’s hand grasped around her own. She glanced at him, surprised, and saw him smiling tenderly at her.

“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ve tried to use my baton a hundred times already. I get it.”

She then realized her arm was still wrapped around him, and her face was so close, _too _close to his. She let him go and backed away, mumbling, “Sorry.”

But he stepped towards her, gently grasping her arms so she would look at him. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “You don’t need a yo-yo to be Ladybug, right?”

That’s not exactly what she was sorry about, but she rolled with it. “I…guess not?”

He grinned. “After all, you’re still awesome without the suit at all, so you don’t need a weapon to be great.”

Rose made some sort of sound that was a cross between a coo and a sigh. Marinette pulled away roughly. “We should get going.”

“Okay!” Rose said brightly, walking along with her. She shot a glance back at Adrien, who, she’d noticed, was _hurt_ by Marinette tearing herself from his arms. But Rose just smiled, not bringing attention to it. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” Adrien replied, taking a few quick steps so he could catch up to the girls.

“What’s next in the story, anyways?” Marinette asked. “I get the feeling we’re not close to done.”

“Not yet,” he replied, grinning again. “Next up is—let me think—the Tin Man.”

“I wonder who that is?” Rose asked aloud.

The answer came a few minutes later, when they rounded a corner and found another previous akuma, this one a girl all in silver with a sword for a hand.

Marinette stopped in her tracks, and Rose gently grabbed her hand for support as Adrien stepped towards the girl.

“Kagami?” he asked.


	5. Could Be Kinda Human

This wasn’t happening. Marinette stood completely still, watching the love of her life rush over to embrace his girlfriend. She had to be seeing things. She had to be hallucinating, because _things could not get any worse_.

She turned and ran.

“Adrien!” Kagami gasped, apparently coming to life as soon as Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder. She gently moved out of his embrace to stretch out her arms. “I couldn’t move! That was…”

“It’s all right,” Adrien replied tenderly. “It’s just an akuma, Brought us into the Wizard of Oz. Seems like you’re the Tin Man.”

“I don’t know who that is. More importantly—Adrien, are you Chat Noir?”

Adrien glanced down at himself, apparently just remembering that he was dressed as his hero self. “Uh, yeah…”

“It makes sense,” she replied, a smile playing on her lips. “You’ve always been strong and caring. Of course you’re a hero.”

Adrien smiled, his cheeks blushing a light pink. “Thanks…”

“Then, who’s Ladybug?” Kagami asked. “Do you know?”

She didn’t miss the way his face lit up as he said, “Oh! Ladybug—she’s Marinette!” He turned around, and then asked, “Rose? Where…did Marinette go?”

Rose wore an unreadable expression on her face as she replied, “She had to go away for a little bit. I’m going to go check on her.”

**

“Marinette?” Rose called as she walked back along the path. “Are you okay?”

“No,” replied a tear-filled voice. Rose turned to see Marinette sitting on the edge of the road, her knees hugged to her chest as she cried.

“_Oh_,” Rose murmured, kneeling down to hug her friend. “It’ll be okay!”

“It _won’t_!” Marinette cried. “I need to focus on getting out of here—it’s bad enough Chat is Adrien, but with Kagami here…I can’t do this alone…”

“Marinette!” Rose said firmly, forcing the other girl to finally look up. “You’re not alone! Adrien’s very oblivious, but he’s your friend! Kagami is your friend! And _I’m_ you’re friend! You _can_ do this! You’re _Marinette_, class president, everyone’s friend, the girl who stood up to Chloe!”

Marinette cracked a small smile. “Thanks…but it still hurts.”

“Well, I’m going to help,” Rose said, determination fixed on her features. She stood up. “I’m going to go talk to them.”

“Rose!”

“Don’t worry!” she said brightly. “I won’t say anything about you. I’ll just ask them to be normal, okay? Then it won’t hurt so much to see them.”

“Okay,” Marinette said softly. “I’ll—I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

**

Rose returned to find Adrien and Kagami in another embrace, Kagami’s hand on his cheek as she smiled sweetly at him. She cleared her throat loudly, causing the two to look over at her.

“How’s Marinette?” Adrien asked, concerned.

“She’s fine!” Rose replied, even more chipper than normal. “But, um. Can I ask you two something?”

“Sure, what is it?” Adrien stepped back from Kagami.

“Could you please not be so couple-y?” Rose asked.

Kagami narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

Rose’s eyes widened, and she stammered as she replied, “I-I…have a crush on Adrien! And it just hurts _too_ much to watch you two be together!” She dramatically threw her arm over her eyes, turning her face into her shoulder, as she added, “I don’t want to stand in the way of your love, but please, have pity!”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” Adrien said, his voice full of pity. “I didn’t know…we can tone it down, right, Kagami?”

“You’re covering for Marinette, aren’t you?” she asked. “Everyone knows you’re in love with Juleka.”

Rose flushed, the green skin of her cheeks turning a darker green. “I—I’m not—”

“What’s wrong with Marinette?” Adrien asked, confused.

“She’s in love with you,” Kagami said bluntly. “Did you _not_ know this?”

“I—no—what?” Adrien stammered. “She is?”

“It doesn’t matter, though,” Kagami said, turning back to Adrien. “You chose _me_. And we’re _happy_.”

“I—yeah,” he said, still very distracted. “Yeah, we’re happy.”

“Don’t let Marinette know that you know!” Rose cried. “She didn’t want to be a problem…”

**

When Marinette returned to the group, Kagami and Adrien were standing a few feet apart. As they all headed down the road again, Marinette fell into step beside Rose and murmured, “Thank you.”

“You’ll be okay,” Rose said with a smile.

Behind them, Kagami and Adrien walked, Kagami not saying a word as her boyfriend kept _staring_ at another girl.

She’d _won_. She was the one dating Adrien. She was the one he cared about. And she trusted that he wasn’t going to _cheat_ on her or anything, but _why was he looking at Marinette like that?_

Didn’t the girl know she’d lost? Didn’t she know how to accept defeat gracefully? Ladybug or not, her duty now was to _back off_, move on, find some other guy.

“Adrien?” she asked. “Do you have feelings for Marinette?”

“What? No!” he replied instantly, but then he hesitated and said in a low voice, “I used to be in love with Ladybug. I’m just…I didn’t _know_ that she felt the same. But that doesn’t mean I regret choosing you.”

Kagami smiled slightly. “Thank you, Adrien,” she murmured. “I am truly happy with you. I just want you to feel the same way.”

“I do,” he reassured her. And it was true, really. He was happy.

He couldn’t help the what-ifs that gnawed at the back of his mind. What if he _had_ known Ladybug’s identity? What if he _had_ chosen Marinette? Would he be as happy? Happier?

He had to move on. He was with Kagami, and she didn’t deserve her boyfriend being in love with another girl.

He glanced at Kagami, who smiled back at him. His heart fluttered, and he felt _lucky_ for once that a cute and charming girl like her could have affection for him. So he smiled back at her before looking ahead once more.

He caught sight of Marinette laughing at something Rose had said, and he felt the same heart flutter, the same feeling of luck that he could catch the eye of a girl like _that_. But then he remembered he’d hurt her, and if he tried to fix that, he’d just hurt Kagami.

So he smiled at his girlfriend again. Staying with her wouldn’t cause any more hurt, except maybe to himself. And it’s not like he wasn’t used to that.

Adrien did have to admit to himself that finding out Marinette was Ladybug did bring up some of that affection again. But Kagami being here, walking next to him, smiling at him as much as she could in her silver akumatized form, brought him back to his reality.

He was dating Kagami, and Marinette was just a friend.

“It’s so good to know you’re safe,” Kagami murmured.

He shot her a genuinely sweet smile. “I’m glad you’re safe too. We can make it through this together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your comments and kudos! I honestly didn't think anyone would read this weird little thing but I'm glad you're enjoying it!


	6. Oh My!

The sky grew dark as trees stretched overhead. The group stuck close as the path ahead veered deep into the woods.

Adrien stepped to the front of the group, explaining that cats could see better in the dark.

“You’re not _really_ a cat, you know,” Marinette muttered.

“Let him do what he wants,” Kagami retorted. “If he wants to lead, he can lead.”

Marinette fell silent after that. Rose gently squeezed her hand.

“The Cowardly Lion is probably next,” Adrien mused. “We’ll meet them in here.”

“Another friend of yours?” Kagami asked.

“Seems like it.”

The group’s pace slowed as the path ahead grew darker. Eventually, only Chat could see, so he reached for the girls to be able to guide them. With one hand he held Kagami, with the other he reached for Rose and Marinette. He didn’t bother to check which one of them grabbed onto him.

Suddenly, something just ahead of them growled, a low rumbling sound that echoed around them. Adrien squeezed both girls’ hands in reassurance. A large shape darted across the path.

Marinette interlaced her fingers with Adrien’s, not thinking, just knowing she was in a real life horror movie and she did not like it. He held her hand firm in his, keeping her anchored, keeping her moving forward.

A beam of moonlight shone through the trees ahead of them, and there the group could clearly see a large pink creature with three yellow eyes, its tail wrapped around itself as it sat on the path. It growled as they slowly approached.

Marinette was the first to recognize it, letting go of Adrien’s hand to approach. “Mylene?”

Mylene nodded and raced towards her, sitting in front of her and leaning against her. She made some sound like a pitiful howl.

“Can you talk?” Marinette asked softly.

Mylene shook her head, gazing up at Marinette mournfully.

Marinette just smiled. “That’s okay! We can still talk to you. Rose! Do you want to come help explain what’s going on?”

Rose nodded, racing forward to hug Mylene tight. “Oh, it’s so good to see you! We’re trapped in the Wizard of Oz movie, and Marinette is Ladybug and is going to fix everything! So just stick with us, okay?”

Mylene nodded, finally looking happy as Adrien and Kagami stepped into the light.

“I don’t believe I know you,” Kagami said, peering curiously at Mylene. “Are you another akuma?”

“This is Mylene,” Adrien told her. “She’s another friend from school. Her akuma was the Horrificator, but she’s really nice.”

Mylene just nodded in greeting.

“Can you see in this dark?” Kagami asked.

Another nod.

“Good, then you can guide them on the way,” she said, pointing at Rose and Marinette. “Use your tentacles or something.” With that, she slid her free hand back into Adrien’s.

Mylene cocked her head, sizing up Kagami, before turning and heading to Rose and Marinette. She looked at her friends with a questioning stare.

“I know,” Marinette said with a sight. “Yeah, it hurts.”

“Kagami is so _mean!_” Rose complained as soon as Kagami and Adrien started walking. “She said Marinette’s just a sore loser!”

“What?” Marinette asked, wrinkling her nose. “When?”

“When I asked her and Adrien to stop being so couple-y in front of you, she said you should just leave them alone because you lost!” Rose’s normally chirpy demeanor had fallen, and she was practically shaking with anger now.

“Did…she say that in front of Adrien?” Marnette asked tentatively, her heart already crumbling. “Does he know?”

Rose shot her a sympathetic glance and nodded. “He seemed really happy about it, if that helps!”

Marinette bit her lip, trying not to be affected by that knowledge.

**

The group crept through the darkness together for a while. Adrien held onto Kagami’s hand while the other girls held onto Mylene. He could hear some whispering behind him, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“I am just so _mad_ at Adrien right now!” Rose was furiously hissing at her friends. “Marinette, he’s your _partner_! How could he treat you like this, just abandoning you for another girl?”

“She’s not ‘another girl’, she’s his girlfriend,” Marinette replied wearily. Mylene made a hum of agreement.

“But you’re _Ladybug and Chat Noir!_ You’re meant to be together!”

“We don’t need to be _together_ to be partners.”

“But it’s just—you don’t deserve this, Marinette,” Rose said quietly. “You deserve to be happy. Mylene and I are your friends, and always will be, but—I know if Juleka were here, I’d want to spend every second by her side. No matter what.”

Mylene gave Marinette a gentle push towards Adrien and Kagami. She stumbled a bit, walking forward blindly.

“I’m sure Ivan’s okay,” Rose murmured. Mylene just gave a small growl in response.

Marinette walked straight ahead until her hand brushed against another hand, this one in leather with claws. She smiled at the familiar feeling of Chat’s hand in hers, holding onto him as some of her uneasiness melted away.

In the darkness, it was easy to forget that he was Adrien, and there was much more going on. She could just lie to herself and say this was just Chat’s hand. Just her partner’s hand. The two of them against the world. She wasn’t alone, and she could handle whatever this strange world had to throw at her.

Adrien glanced over in surprise as he felt another hand grabbing his own. He smiled when he saw it was Marinette, saw some of the fear on her face fade away into Ladybug’s usual confidence. He held her hand tightly in his, squeezing softly to let her know that he was there, that he would _always_ protect her.

After a while, the sky began to brighten as the trees receded around them. The earliest rays of sunlight pierced through the ending night.

Marinette dropped Adrien’s hand as soon as she could see again. He kept his eyes focused ahead of him, his face impassive. “We should be getting close,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “There isn’t that much more to go before we reach the Emerald City.”

As the sky lit up with brilliant reds and and yellows from the rising sun, Adrien couldn’t help but smile. Without realizing it, he started to hum one of the songs from the movie—until Kagami gave him a questioning look.

“Sorry,” he muttered, making sure he was silent from then on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your comments and kudos! I'm trying my best not to make Kagami too much of a villain--I think she's wrong for Adrien, but I don't think she's a bad person. Just a person with flaws.


	7. Brave as a Blizzard

Marinette was growing hungry. Not enough to bother her, but enough to be noticeable. So when the group came upon a table, set for five, with a feast spread out upon it, she stopped, staring at it.

“Do you think it’s safe?” she asked her friends.

“Probably,” Adrien said, hungrily eyeing the food. “I hope so, anyways. Looks _delicious_.”

Kagami warily looked at the area surrounding the table, noticing the dozens of figures nearby. “Maybe not. Look—are those suits of armor guarding it?”

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a glance, and realized in unison, “Darkblade.”

At the mention of the akuma’s name, the armor sprung to life, each one drawing their sword and pointing it at the group. Kagami stepped forward, placing herself in front, and held out her sword, crying, “En garde!”

The armored suits marched forward. A handful of them fought Kagami, while the rest marched right past her. Rose sprayed perfume on some, who stopped and bowed at her feet, while Mylene roared at another group, picking them up and throwing them far away.

“Stay back, my Lady!” Adrien cried as he picked up one of the dropped swords. He held out his arm to guard Marinette as he fended off all those who passed by the first three.

“I don’t remember this from the movie!” Marinette exclaimed, watching the fights happening around her.

“It didn’t happen!” Adrien replied. “Must be one of Lila’s tricks…”

Marinette just nodded absently as she watched. As each attacker was defeated, they crumbled into a pile of lifeless armor, falling harmlessly on the ground—and the number was thinning.

“Keep it up!” she said to Adrien. She grabbed a spare sword and stood behind him, adding, “I’ve got your back, _chaton_.”

Adrien grinned, and, with the help of their friends, they managed to defeat the rest of the attackers, until the ground around them was littered with empty armor.

“Pound it!” Marinette and Adrien chorused, exchanging their usual fist bump.

“Adrien,” Kagami said suddenly, her tone cold. “May I speak with you?”

He nodded, and she led him further down the path, out of earshot of the others.

Marinette, meanwhile, hugged her friends, a grin on her face. “You two are great,” she said. “I’m so glad I can count on you.”

“Always!” Rose said happily, while Mylene nuzzled her head against them both.

**

“I thought you said you didn’t have feelings for her!” Kagami accused angrily.

Adrien held up his hands in a sign of surrender, his eyes wide with shock. “I don’t! What are you talking about?”

“You called her _your lady_,” she replied, tears pricking at her eyes. “You left me _alone_ and fought with _her!_”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, reaching out to place his hand on her shoulder. She angrily jerked away, so he hesitated before continuing, “It’s just a nickname. If you don’t like it, I’ll stop calling her that.”

“You still left me,” she said, sullen and hurt.

He frowned, and said in a low tone, “Kagami. You’re the best fencer I’ve ever known, and you have a sword attached to your arm. I _know_ you can handle yourself, but Ladybug _relies_ on me.”

Kagami just scoffed. “Maybe she needs to learn to fight better, then. _I’m_ your girlfriend. _I_ should be your partner.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” he said.

“Why not?” she asked. “Marinette isn’t the only one who can use that Miraculous. You’re not the only one who can use yours.”

Adrien stepped back, his hand clutching at where his ring usually rested. “I’m _not_ giving up my Miraculous.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t say stop being a hero! I mean…Ladybug trusts both of us. I’m Ryuuko. Can’t she figure out some way for _us_ to be partners?”

He just smiled softly. “Of _course_ you’re Ryuuko. But I don’t know how it works. Ladybug’s the one who decides—”

“Well, of course she won’t give you up,” Kagami muttered bitterly. “Adrien, please. I know things can’t change right this second, but once you solve this and defeat the akuma…find a way to be my partner. I _am_ the one you chose, after all.”

“You are,” Adrien agreed. “I…I’ll talk to Marinette.”

“Thank you,” she replied, smiling sweetly at him. “I’ll head back and let them know it’s okay to move on now.”

As she left, Adrien let out a deep breath. He didn’t feel like it was okay at all, but he also didn’t want to argue anymore. He couldn’t imagine being Chat Noir without Ladybug by his side, no matter what his heart was feeling. And _no one_ would make him give up being Chat Noir. No amount of love was worth that small freedom.

**

“Marinette. Girls. Let’s go,” Kagami said bluntly as she reached the rest of the group. “Adrien and I are ready.”

Rose and Mylene headed down the path, but Kagami lingered behind to speak with Marinette as they walked.

“Is everything okay?” Marinette asked, genuinely concerned.

“It’s fine,” Kagami replied tersely. “Adrien and I came to an agreement. I understand you decide who gets the Miraculouses, correct?”

“Well, yes, I guess that’s me now…”

“Then you should start thinking of a new Chat Noir.”

Kagami picked up her pace, walking quickly to catch up to Adrien while the last hopes in Marinette’s heart shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the shorter chapter! Things are going to start picking up soon, I swear.


	8. You Can’t Rest Now

Mylene and Rose noticed that Marinette stayed a few steps behind the rest of the group and kept her eyes on the ground. They both hung back to comfort her, but Marinette assured them she was fine, she was just thinking over some things.

Did Adrien really not want to be Chat Noir anymore? That didn’t seem right—he’d assured her time and again that he was her partner, and he’d be by her side. Besides, she couldn’t totally believe it until she actually heard it from him. Kagami could be lying, right?

It would’ve been easy to brush it off and ignore Kagami’s words, if she hadn’t glanced up and seen Adrien holding Kagami’s hand and smiling at her.

Rose slowed her pace suddenly so that she was walking by Marinette’s side. “You’re doing that thing again,” she said softly.

“What thing?” Marinette asked, unable to keep all the bitterness from her voice.

“You’re overthinking something and probably finding some way the world ends because of it,” Rose replied. “You’ve got that look on your face.”

“…how do you know that?”

“Alya’s told us how you think when you’re upset,” she said. “And Juleka gets panic attacks too.”

Marinette sighed, before admitting, “Kagami said Adrien doesn’t want to be Chat Noir anymore.”

“What? There’s no way!” Rose cried.

“I know! But I can’t help thinking…what if she’s right? What if he really wants nothing to do with me anymore? What if he—”

“Stop,” Rose said firmly. “I’ll perfume you if I have to, but you have to _stop thinking_. What _exactly _did Kagami say?”

“That I should find a new Chat Noir.”

“Did she say _anything_ about how Adrien feels?”

Marinette paused, and shook her head. “No, but—but she—”

“_No!_” Rose said sharply, loud enough that the rest of the group turned to look at her. She gave them all a smile before hissing at Marinette, “No buts! Focus only on what you _absolutely know happened!_”

“Okay,” Marinette said, taking a deep breath. “Kagami thinks I should find a new Chat Noir. Adrien is…I don’t know what he’s thinking. And I don’t want to take away his Miraculous unless he’s _sure_ he doesn’t want it.”

“Good!” Rose chirped. “So you should…?”

“Talk to Adrien?”

“Right!”

Marinette just laughed. “You’ve seen me try to talk to him! It’s just going to be worse if I’m trying to talk to him about something serious.”

“Then don’t talk to him,” Rose said simply, causing Marinette to glance at her, confused. “Talk to Chat Noir.”

Marinette nodded slowly, then started to walk forward quickly, catching up to Adrien and Kagami.

None of them noticed that the path was starting to lead into a flowered field, and plants were underfoot instead of bare brick.

“Adrien, can I talk to you?” Marinette asked.

“Sure,” Adrien said, stopping. He glanced at Kagami, ignored her frown, and said, “Go on ahead, we’ll catch up.”

When the others were out of earshot, he turned back to Marinette, smiling softly at her. She took a deep breath before saying, “Kagami talked to me earlier, and I—” Her words were cut off by a long, loud yawn. “Sorry about that,” she muttered. “Really sleepy all of a sudden.”

Adrien frowned, and glanced down at the ground, seeing a blanket of orange flowers beneath their feet. “Shit,” he swore under his breath. “Marinette, we need to move.”

She shook her head. “This is important!” she cried, before yawning again.

He put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her to walk along the path. “We need to get out of the poppies, or we’ll be stuck here!”

“That’s okay,” she said sleepily, her head starting to fall against her chest. She stumbled as she walked forward. “A little nap sounds like a good idea.”

A few more steps forward, and she fell asleep on her feet, starting to fall forward. Adrien managed to grab her in time and scooped her into his arms as he ran across the poppy field, racing to catch up with his friends. Marinette snuggled against his chest, smiling as she slept.

Rose was already asleep, curled up on Mylene’s back as the girl beast carried her forward. Kagami narrowed her eyes when she saw Marinette in Adrien’s arms. “What is going on?”

“We’ve gotta move,” Adrien said, panic in his voice. “The poppies—they’re a trap!” His words were punctuated with a yawn of his own.

Mylene suddenly let out a growling yawn before stopping in her tracks and falling asleep on the ground.

Adrien blinked rapidly as he tried to keep his eyes open. “Kagami, we have to get everyone out of here.”

“I’m not sleepy,” she said, holding out her free arm. “Give me Marinette.”

He shook his head. “You’ve got a sword for an arm. You’ll hurt her.” He yawned again, stumbling to his knees. “Maybe…a little break wouldn’t be so bad…”

He didn’t notice Kagami scoffing and turning away from him as he laid back on the flowers, cradling Marinette in his arms. She was so warm, and she smelled nice…he hugged her close as he drifted off to sleep.

Anyone else might have found the scene to be sweet, Marinette laying on Adrien’s chest as they slept, his head bent like he was breathing in the scent of her hair. But unfortunately, Kagami was the last one awake, and she had to deal with her _boyfriend_ cuddling another girl!

It wasn’t _fair!_ She’d won, but she _still_ had to keep fighting! Why were most relationships so easy but she had to be in a constant battle to be happy?

She let out a frustrated cry and slashed her sword towards the sky, the familiar feeling of the blade slicing through the air calming her down somewhat. The sky turned dark where she’d cut, and soon soft snowflakes were falling around her.

**

Marinette was cold and warm at the same time. She blinked, waking up slowly, and lifted her head to glance around. The cold, she noted, was snowflakes falling on her, gently coating her in white. The warmth beneath her was a body, another sleeping person.

She shook her head, letting her consciousness return, and realized she was lying on _Adrien’s_ chest, his arms wrapped firmly around her. She let out a sound like a squeak and tried to pull away, only to have him hold her closer, pinning her arms to her sides so she had less room to move.

“You’re awake,” a sharp voice said. She turned her head to see Kagami glaring at her, her sword pointing threateningly into her face. “Get off of him.”

“I _can’t_,” Marinette hissed. “He won’t let me go.”

“Try harder.”

Marinette struggled, intensely aware of how close she was to Adrien, how warm his arms were around her, how his body felt against hers as she squirmed against him—but her focus was on _leaving_ his embrace, not enjoying it. She felt something cold and sharp as Kagami placed the tip of her sword between her and Adrien, trying to pry them apart.

Marinette was freed, but her arm _hurt_. She grabbed at it as she stood up, pulling her hand away to find a thin line of blood streaked across her palm. “Kagami?”

“I—I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Kagami replied, her eyes wide. “I just—I’m sorry.”

“It was an accident,” Marinette murmured, immediately forgiving her as she held her arm, applying pressure till the bleeding stopped. Around them, the rest of the group was beginning to wake up. Mylene and Rose approached them as Adrien’s eyes began to flutter open.

“What happened?” he asked groggily.

“We fell asleep,” Marinette said. “I don’t know why…”

He sat up and placed his hand palm down on the ground, feeling the flowers below his fingers. “Poisoned poppies,” he replied. “It’s…part of the story. But it means we’ve almost made it—we just need to keep going.”

He stood up, and the group started walking again, picking up speed as they raced away from the poppies. Green glimmering spires could be seen in the distance as they approached the Emerald City.

As they walked, Adrien noticed a thin red line on Marinette’s upper arm, a small gash in her sleeve. “Hey,” he said, catching her by the hand to get her attention. “What happened to your arm?”

Marinette’s gaze quickly flit to Kagami, who couldn’t quite meet her eye. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Must have caught on something when we were asleep. It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Adrien nodded, saying, “Okay,” before moving forward.

Kagami lingered slightly, matching her pace to Marinette’s. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I promise, I really didn’t mean it—”

“It’s okay,” Marinette reassured her. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on Adrien, either. Akumas put us in weird situations—I’d never hold it against you. After all, we’re friends, right?”

“Friends,” Kagami repeated, still not quite able to look directly at Marinette. She was confused—were they really friends? Hadn’t that ended when they fought over Adrien? “You—you still want to be friends?”

“Of course,” Marinette replied, smiling at her. “I know I haven’t been talking to you much lately—I’m trying to get over Adrien. Honestly, right now, it still hurts. But I don’t blame you, and I hope you understand why I need some time before things can be normal again.”

“I—I understand.” She didn’t understand, not at all. Marinette had lost, and apparently accepted it, so why wasn’t she giving up? Why wasn’t she able to just stop her feelings?

After all, Kagami had confidence that if things had gone the other way, she could move on. She’d been trained on how to school her emotions, how to put hurt away to the back of her mind so she could move on. It was what had let her move around the world for fencing without missing places and friends she’d met. It was what had let her win her tournament the day after her father passed away.

Marinette, apparently, had no such control. And it was _frustrating_, watching her hang around like a toddler throwing a tantrum. She needed to _grow up _already if she wanted to stay friends.

Kagami walked beside Marinette for a while longer, but she felt alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagami and Rose might just be my favorite characters right now


	9. Choice of a Different Color

The yellow brick road finally ended at a large green gate. There was a large rope hanging next to it, with a sign that read ‘Please Ring Bell’.

Adrien grabbed the rope and yanked, causing a loud bell to chime. A small window in the gate slid open, revealing another former akuma victim—but this time, Marinette was relieved to see her.

“Oh, hey!” Alya cried. “You guys are safe! Hold on, I’ll let you in.”

The window slid shut, and the gate creaked open, allowing the group to pass through. Behind it, Alya stood waiting for them, dressed as Lady Wifi but grinning like her normal self. She rushed to Marinette and gave her a hug. “Oh my god, M, I’m so happy to see you!”

“You too, Alya,” Marinette said, some of the tension she’d been feeling melting away as she hugged her best friend. “Things have been so crazy, you have no idea.”

“Tell me _everything_,” Alya said, but then hesitated. “Except…Marinette, are you Ladybug?”

Marinette nodded, a guilty look crossing her face. “I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you so many times…”

“No, don’t worry girl, I get it!” Alya cried, hugging her again. She added in a soft voice, “Thanks for making me Rena. I promise I’ll keep your secret.”

“You’re the best,” Marinette replied with a grin.

Alya smiled, and then stepped back to address the group. “Okay, so apparently, I’m supposed to tell you all to relax and enjoy the city until the Wizard can see you. I don’t know who the Wizard is, so good luck with that.”

“You should come with us!” Rose suddenly suggested. “We’ve all stuck together since we found each other, you should join us!”

Alya shook her head. “I can’t. I’m staying with my sisters.” She gestured towards the streets of the city behind her, and the group could see dozens of Sapotis running around, filling in the city to make it seem alive.

A small group of Sapotis ran towards them, grabbing their hands and tugging them to a large building. Alya waved goodbye. “Good luck! I know we can count on you, Marinette!”

“What’s going on now?” Kagami asked Adrien.

“I think this is the part of the movie where everyone goes to a spa and gets to relax for a bit,” Adrien replied with a grin. “Might as well enjoy it while we can.”

Inside the building, the Sapotis led Rose, Kagami, and Mylene to one area while taking Adrien and Marinette to another. Kagami reached for Adrien’s hand, gently squeezing before letting the Sapotis lead her away.

Adrien and Marinette were ushered to a room with two large bathtubs set up, a divider between them. The Sapotis pushed them so they were each on one side of the divider and left them alone.

“A bath? Really?” Marinette asked.

Adrien laughed. “Don’t they know that cats hate water? I don’t think the suit even comes off, anyways.” He paused, then added, “But, um, I think it’s safe. This part in the movie, nothing bad happens. If you want to—I’ll just stay over here.”

Marinette dipped her hand into the tub. The water was the perfect temperature, and she knew a soak would help calm her. And Adrien was safely on the other side of the divider—she stripped down, taking care to set aside the dress she wore, and stepped into the tub, letting out a sigh as she sank down into the bubbles.

Adrien heard the small splash and the sigh and tried very hard not to think about the fact that he was only a small modesty divider away from a cute girl who was now very much naked. He sat on the floor, his back to the divider, focusing on fencing, on Mandarin, on anything other than Marinette in a tub, any mental picture that was not her hair loose around her bare shoulders, peeking over a layer of bubbles.

Focusing was _very_ hard for him.

“Hey, Marinette?” he called. Maybe some conversation would be a distraction.

She let out a sound like an adorable squeak. “Um, yeah?”

“What was it you were trying to say earlier? Something about Kagami talking to you?”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I—uh. I’d rather wait? I have a question for you, I’d like to ask you face to face.”

“Oh, okay,” he replied, falling into silence again.

He heard a few small splashing sounds, and his mind helpfully supplied the image of Marinette sticking one bare leg out of the water as she ran a sponge along her smooth skin—he needed to talk about _anything_ so he’d stop picturing his friend like that!

His incredibly cute friend who had a crush on him, his traitor mind reminded him.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked.

“Uh, sure,” she replied.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?”

She was silent for a moment, and he smacked himself on the forehead for asking that. Thinking about Marinette kissing was the last thing he wanted on his mind.

“Yes?” she replied. “I mean…you? Because of akumas, of course, and I know you don’t remember either of them so I guess they don’t count?”

He smiled, and said, “Yeah, I don’t think those count.”

“Then, no,” she said in a small voice. Was she sad? Did he make her sad? He had to fix this.

“Neither have I,” he said, and they fell into silence for a moment again.

Until Marinette asked, “But—you and Kagami?”

“I haven’t kissed her,” he said. “I—it just hasn’t felt right.”

For a moment, Marinette forgot to breathe. A small ray of hope pierced her heart. He’d _never_ been shy about wanting to kiss Ladybug, but he hesitates when he has a real girlfriend? Maybe, just maybe—he did still feel something for Ladybug? For her?

But she squashed that feeling before she could really hope. She couldn’t let herself have that hope if she was going to try and be his friend.

“I-I’m sure the time will come,” she replied.

Adrien sighed, frustrated. “Maybe,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.

Marinette stood from the tub and grabbed a plush white robe hanging on a hook beside it, wrapping it around herself. “Hey,” she called. “You’re, um. You didn’t change, right?”

“No,” he replied, confused. “I’ve just been sitting here.”

She stepped around the divider and Adrien swallowed hard as he saw her. The robe covered her up modestly, but there was just the barest sliver of skin at her neck, the flash of leg below the fabric, and he had to force his eyes to her face. That wasn’t any better, as her hair was wet and hung loosely around her shoulders, just like he’d imagined but somehow _better_… “You look nice,” he said, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth.

She smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

He stood up and stepped towards her. There was a lock of hair hanging in her face, and he felt compelled to brush it away so he could see her eyes more clearly. He set one hand on her shoulder and pushed the hair away, his hand cupping her cheek.

He could kiss her now. Her lips were slightly parted, her breath warm against him. It would be so _easy_ to lean forward and close that gap, make sure both of them had a first kiss that counted…

The door slammed open suddenly, and Adrien stepped back. Marinette blushed furiously, turning away from him and going back to her side of the room.

More Sapotis entered, some of them pushing Marinette to get dressed again before they led her and Adrien out of the room and down a hallway. They pushed them into another room and pointed them towards two salon chairs side by side.

Marinette followed directions in a daze. Of course Adrien hadn’t been about to kiss her. She didn’t know _what_ he was doing, but it definitely was not going to be a kiss, no matter how much it felt like it in that moment.

The Sapotis began to brush Marinette’s hair and polish Adrien’s claws. Adrien took the moment to turn towards Marinette and ask, “So, again. What do you need to talk to me about?”

She sighed, her mind racing as she thought of the best way to approach the topic. “Do you like being Chat Noir?”

“Of course,” he said with an easy grin. “Probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“So, you want to keep your Miraculous?”

His face fell suddenly. “That’s what this is about? Marinette, if you want a new partner…”

“No!” she replied quickly, her eyes wide. She waved her hands in front of her face, emphasizing how much she did not mean that. “That’s not it at all! I—I want you to be my partner, Chaton. I couldn’t work as well with anyone else. I just—I didn’t know if you wanted it anymore, that’s all.”

“Of course I do,” he said, confused. “Why would you think anything else?”

Marinette glanced away from him before replying, “It’s—Kagami said—she said you had an agreement. And that I should look for a new Chat Noir.”

“_What_.” His voice was cold, angry, and it made her flinch.

“I was _never_ going to take away your Miraculous without asking you first,” she said. “But—Kagami doesn’t lie, so…I was worried.”

“Yeah, well, this time she did,” Adrien replied sharply. “She was feeling left out and wanted me to talk to you about being a bigger part of the team. That’s all.”

Marinette couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Good. I was scared—I don’t want to lose you.”

“I told you it’s us against the world, didn’t I?” he asked, smiling tenderly at her. “That’s a promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

She smiled wider, and sank back into her chair, relaxing. “As for Ryuuko,” she said. “I get where she’s coming from and I guess I’m okay with her being a bigger part of the team—but we _both_ have to trust her. I might be the Guardian now, but you’re my _partner_ and you matter when it comes to decisions like this.”

Adrien couldn’t quite look at her. He stared off into the distance for a long moment before saying in a quiet voice, “I don’t know if I can trust her right now.”

“You don’t have to decide right now, either,” Marinette said. “It’s okay to take some time and think.”

“Thank you,” he said. “No one’s ever really asked what I wanted before.”

She sat up, looking at him. “That’s not okay. Your opinion _matters_, Adrien. _I_ care about what you have to say—I don’t know why anyone else wouldn’t.”

He studied her face for a moment, the fierce determination etched on her features that he first fell in love with. He smiled and repeated in a small voice, “Thank you.”

He leaned back into his chair, wondering how Kagami could have even _thought_ about her suggestion. She _knew_ how important freedom was to him. That was one of the reasons he even thought their relationship would be good in the first place—Kagami was the one who _understood_ what it was like to have overbearing family and need that escape.

But she tried to take his escape away.

He had to talk to her. He had to find out what she was thinking. Maybe Marinette misunderstood? Because Marinette definitely never lied, but she _did_ have the tendency to jump to conclusions. There _had_ to be some explanation.

Because otherwise, he’d made the wrong choice. And he wasn’t sure he deserved a chance to choose again.


	10. The Great and Powerful

When the Sapotis finished beautifying the group, they all met up again. Kagami’s sword and silver skin were polished, Rose’s hair was done up in a nice pink bow, and Mylene had bows in the tentacles of her hair. Marinette was looking a little bit more like Dorothy, with her hair in twin pigtails tied with red bows. Adrien’s claws were polished and sharp, and he had a red bow in his hair as well, mostly because he wanted it.

The Sapotis led them all to another building and left them in a large hallway. They frantically pointed down to the other end of the hall before leaving the room and shutting the large doors behind them.

“Time to meet the Wizard,” Adrien said, staring down the hallway. He gently took Marinette’s hand in his before walking further in.

Kagami’s eyes narrowed as she saw this, but Adrien didn’t look back at her. He knew he had to talk to her, but now was _not_ the time.

Marinette, on the other hand, blushed an adorable pink as she held Adrien’s hand. That little seed of hope that had been planted in her was growing, no matter how hard she tried to squash it. She tried to focus on the task ahead—talk to the Wizard and then…she forgot how the story went after that, but she trusted her partner to guide her.

Adrien pushed open a large door at the end of the hall and stepped through with Marinette. Rose, Kagami, and Mylene followed. They were met by a large floating face composed of black butterflies.

Adrien and Marinette separated, immediately shifting into battle stances. Marinette had her fists ready, and Adrien had his claws.

“Come out here and fight us yourself, Hawkmoth!” Marinette cried. “What kind of coward hides behind _butterflies_?”

The floating face chuckled before Hawkmoth replied, “Calm down, little Mademoiselle. I’m not your enemy right now.”

“Of course you are,” Adrien snarled in reply. “You’re the one in charge here, aren’t you?”

“Not anymore.”

That surprised them enough for Marinette to lower her guard slightly. “…what do you mean?”

“I mean, I lost control of the akuma,” Hawkmoth said, irritation obvious in his tone. “Your friend Lila has the reins now. _She’s_ controlling this story—it wouldn’t have gone this far if I could do anything about it.”

“Why should we believe anything you say?” Adrien asked.

Hawkmoth just smiled, an eerily calm smile as the butterflies flapped, shimmering his image. “You know the story, don’t you, _Adrien_? You need to defeat the Wicked Witch before your wish is granted.”

“And if our wish is _your_ Miraculous?” Marinette questioned. “We know you’re not just going to give yourself up.”

“On the contrary, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng,” Hawkmoth replied. Marinette’s eyes widened at hearing her name, and she exchanged a glance with Adrien. “I think we can come to some kind of arrangement—defeat the Witch, and I’ll hand over my Miraculous to you.”

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, their faces saying all they needed to as they had a silent conversation. Behind them, Kagami stormed forward and cried, “Why should we listen to you? You’re the enemy of Paris! We can just defeat you right now!” She pointed her sword at the cloud of butterflies as she spoke, stepping between Adrien and Marinette.

Adrien moved forward then, quickly saying, “All right! We’ll defeat Lila.”

“What?” Kagami asked, shocked.

“The enemy of enemy is my friend,” Marinette chimed in. She eyed Hawkmoth warily. “This doesn’t mean we trust you! We’ll come back to deal with you later.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my dear,” Hawkmoth said with a smile. “Bring back her necklace as proof. I do truly hope to see you soon.”

With that, the butterflies flew apart, scattering across the room as the image of the villain disappeared.

Kagami whirled around, glaring at Adrien and Marinette both. “What is _wrong_ with you? We could have fought him right now!”

“Things haven’t gone well when we’ve fought against the story,” Marinette replied coolly. “If we’re supposed to face Lila next, then we will.”

“And you _agree_ with this?” Kagami asked Adrien.

He nodded. “I trust my Lady completely.”

Her eyes narrowed and she hissed, “_You weren’t supposed to call her that anymore!_”

Marinette’s eyes widened, and she backed away, giving the couple space as she rejoined Rose and Mylene. “We’ll meet you outside!” Rose called, ushering the three of them out of the room.

Adrien’s face was cold as he looked at his girlfriend. “Marinette—Ladybug is my _partner_. If I start treating her differently because you want me to, then we won’t work as well together, and akumas will run free.”

“What did she _say_ to you?” Kagami asked, her tone accusing. “You said you’d talk to her—you said _we’d_ be partners!”

“Well, at least Marinette isn’t asking me to give back my Miraculous!” he snapped.

Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath before speaking. He could still hear a small tremble in her voice. “I just meant—isn’t there a Miraculous that works better with the Dragon? Couldn’t you use that?”

He shook his head. “Plagg is my best friend. I’m not going to give him up for anything. Another Miraculous, another kwami…it wouldn’t be the same.”

“I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice. “I misjudged the situation.”

She couldn’t quite meet his eyes, and her shoulders shook slightly as Adrien realized she was crying. Guilt washed over him, and he stepped forward and hugged her, letting her cry against his chest.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he said. “We—we should have talked better. I—I’m so sorry.”

“Do you love her?” Kagami asked softly.

He hesitated before replying slowly, “It’s…it’s different from how I feel about you.”

“But you love her.”

He couldn’t respond.

She pulled back, finally looking him in the eye. Her nose was red from the crying, and his heart sank at the sight. “Is this—are we breaking up?” she asked.

Adrien hugged her tight again. “No,” he replied. “No. I don’t want to hurt you.” His arms dropped to his sides before he added, “But…I need some time to think about what I _do_ want. There’s been a lot happening really fast…”

“I understand,” she said. “I will…give you space to think. But I hope you know that I love you, Adrien Agreste.”

He grinned and held her hands in his. She was close to him, giving him that pretty smile, and he knew how he could reassure her. He leaned close—

A flash of a half-remembered, half-imagined kiss with Ladybug crossed his mind. He turned his head and planted a light kiss to Kagami’s cheek instead.

If she was disappointed, she didn’t show it.

The small silence between them was broken by a scream from outside.

“That…sounded like Rose,” Adrien said.

Kagami was the one to pull away. “We need to see what’s happening!”

**

Outside the building, Rose was screaming for help as she tugged on Marinette, trying to keep her away from the two Befana-caused fairies that were trying to pull her up into the sky. Marinette did her best to fight back, hitting at the hands that grabbed her, but a third fairy in blank white floated down and grabbed both of her arms, rending her helpless.

Mylene was growling, keeping Rose on the ground as she helped her try to pull Marinette down.

Adrien didn’t think before running forward to grab Marinette, to help her stay with them. He soon found himself lifted off the ground by two more fairies, who quickly pulled him out of reach of anyone else.

The fairies holding Marinette swiftly jerked her upwards, out of Rose’s reach. They flew off into the sky as Rose shouted at them to come back. Adrien was forced to follow.

Rose buried her face into Mylene’s slimy shoulder as she cried for her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really curious what people are thinking of Kagami now


	11. Now Fly! Fly!

The wind rushed past Marinette’s ears as she struggled against the fairies’ grip. “Where are you taking me?” she cried, though they did not answer.

Her arms were pinned, but her legs were free. So she used the fairies holding her as leverage to twist her body around, swing her legs up, and kick one of them in the face. They let go of her hand, which she used to punch the other fairy.

She was freed, but she was falling rapidly. She hadn’t quite realized how far off the ground she was.

She didn’t know if she should scream, try to break the fall somehow, or just accept the end. But she only had a few seconds of freefall before she felt arms wrapping around her, someone holding her close. Her fall hadn’t slowed, but she wasn’t alone.

“Chat?” she murmured, turning to face him. “Adrien?”

He held her tight against his chest, not responding as they plummeted. His eyes were shut against the wind whipping around them.

Suddenly, their momentum slowed. Marinette glanced up to see that two fairies were holding onto Adrien again, carrying the both of them forward. She breathed a sigh of relief, though she continued to cling close to her partner.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

His eyes stayed shut, and he said in a hoarse voice, “I can’t watch you die again, my Lady.”

“I’m not dying,” she replied. “I’m safe. You saved me.”

They flew along in silence for a few moments longer. Marinette couldn’t help but think—what if the fairies _hadn’t_ caught them? What in the world was Adrien’s plan, just sacrifice himself again? A thousand questions burned at her mind, but the one that came out of her mouth was, “What did Kagami mean, you’re not supposed to call me that?” She blushed and immediately added, “I don’t mean to pry but…did I do something?”

He finally opened his eyes to look at her, and she was taken aback on realizing that his eyes were red-rimmed and watery. “You didn’t—you—Marinette, do you…have feelings for me?”

Did he really have to ask that while he was carrying her princess style, his arms supporting her legs, around her back? While his arms were the only thing keeping her from falling while her arms were around his neck, holding herself so close to him?

“I…am trying to get over you,” she admitted. “So, yes. But you’re so important to me as a friend and as a partner—you deserve to be happy. And you like Kagami, so…I’ll stay out of the way.”

“You deserve happiness too,” he said softly.

She glanced up at him, noticing that he couldn’t quite look directly at her. She took a deep breath, mentally setting aside her feelings and her hope once again. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Probably to Lila,” Adrien replied, as a castle appeared in the distance. “I don’t know the rest of the story as well from this point—but I know enough that I know we’ll win.”

Marinette smiled. “Yeah. We can do this.”

**

The fairies brought Marinette and Adrien through an open window in one of the castle’s towers. They were dropped harshly on the floor, and then the fairies tied them up so they were sitting back to back, arms and legs bound, separate but close to each other.

Adrien’s hand grasped Marinette’s and squeezed lightly to reassure her. “We’ll be fine. I _paw_-mise.”

She giggled. “You must be feeling pretty good about this if you’re making puns.”

“It’s you and me against the akuma, how can we lose?” he replied, smiling.

Suddenly, he felt more weight against his back as Marinette shifted to lean on him. “You can cataclysm the ropes, right?” she asked.

“Easily,” he said. “Just tell me when.”

She tilted her head back, gently touching it to his head. “I trust you, Chaton.”

The door to the room suddenly slammed open, and Lila strode inside. “Look at you two!” she said in a voice dripping with sugary sweetness. “So cute together. Adrien, does your girlfriend _know_ you’re cheating on her?”

“You have no idea what normal relationships look like, do you?” Marinette asked, her voice already betraying her frustration. “Adrien and I can be friends without it being a big deal.”

Could they, though? Adrien turned his head to glare at Lila. “What do you want now?”

“To win,” Lila said with a smirk. “Right now, my powers are stronger and unlimited. No more Hawkmoth holding me back! So I say it’s time to get rid of Ladybug _permanently_.”

Adrien grasped Marinette’s hand tightly as he snarled, “Over my dead body.”

She frowned. “See, that wasn’t part of the plan, but if you _insist_…” She grinned, a manic spark in her eye, and played the flute. Another image of a past akuma appeared, this one wielding a trumpet like a gun.

Desperada fired her weapon, missing Marinette by inches, a yellow cloud of smoke harmlessly dissipating on the wall next to her.

Adrien yelled, a wordless, primal growl, as he struggled against the ropes. “Cataclysm!” he cried, burning the ropes to ashes and launching himself at Desperada, his claws slashing the illusion to harmless smoke.

Lila giggled. “Oh, sorry, did that one strike a nerve? Don’t worry, the next one won’t miss her.”

Adrien turned to Lila slowly, his cat ears flattened, his face a twisted, enraged grimace. “Catacylsm,” he repeated, his voice oddly calm as he walked towards the villain, black fire flickering in his palm.

“You won’t hurt me,” Lila taunted. “You’re too _good_ to do something like that.”

He raised his hand menacingly. “You really don’t know me at all, do you?”

“Adrien!” Marinette called, struggling to get free of her own ropes. “You’re better than this—Adrien! Listen to me! _Chaton!_”

Hearing his Lady’s nickname for him, Adrien snapped out of his rage. He turned towards Marinette and kneeled by her, letting the cataclysm burn her ropes away. Once his touch was safe, he hugged her close, letting his head fall on her shoulder, letting tears spill out of his eyes. “I _can’t_ let you die again,” he said, his voice muffled as he spoke into her shoulder, his tone cracking with his emotions. “Never again. Not as long as I’m alive to save you.”

“Oh, Chaton,” she murmured, her hand gently stroking his hair as she held him close. “I’m okay. I’m here.”

“That’s so cute,” Lila said in her sarcastic sweet way. “I think I might throw up.”

Marinette tensed and stood up, gently letting go of Adrien as she glared at Lila. “You’re _pathetic_,” she said, her voice cold and venomous. “You know you can’t win fairly, so you have to resort to lies and trickery. Don’t you realize just how _sad_ that is?”

“My Lady,” Adrien murmured. He stood and placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, gripping softly to keep her close. “Don’t…”

She turned back to him, giving him a sweet smile. “I can handle her. You should get out of here, get the others, okay?”

“No,” he said immediately. He grabbed both of her hands in his, holding her tight. “I can’t leave you.”

She tilted her head forward, gently resting her forehead against his. “I’ll be _fine_. I promise. I can hold her off, and we’ll be able to win better if we have backup, right?”

He hesitated.

“I trust you to come back in time,” she said softly. “I trust you.”

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to know for just one moment what it felt like to be with _her_—just in case. But he also knew that a distracted Ladybug was never a good thing. So he settled for tilting his head just slightly and pressing his lips to her forehead, a promise, a hope expressed in one action.

“I—” he bit back the words he wanted to say, reminding himself that this _wasn’t_ a goodbye. “I’ll be back, my Lady.”

She nodded, and let him go.

Lila wisely moved out of the way as Adrien left the room. She glanced back and Marinette and said, “Well, you know what happens next, right?”

“I melt you?” Marinette replied, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” she replied with a too-confident grin. “We wait.” She played a tune on her flute, summoning an hourglass. The sand fell silently, marking each second. “I want an audience to your doom—so when the last grain of sand falls, I’ll be back. And then, I’m going to kill you.”

Marinette just stared at the hourglass as Lila strode out of the room. She wasn’t sure how the story played out, or how the strange magic in this world worked, but she knew luck was on her side.

After all, the hourglass Lila had conjured was solid, and the wooden frame holding the tear-shaped bottles of sand was red, with black dots.


	12. Wicked Witch or No Wicked Witch

Adrien _ran_. He didn’t exactly know where he was going, but he knew he had to _move_, to find his friends, to get _help_.

Marinette needed him. Marinette _trusted_ him, and he wasn’t going to let her down.

He ran until he heard voices beyond a hill. He couldn’t pick out what they were saying, but he _could_ recognize Kagami’s voice. 

“Hey!” he called to them as soon as he crested the hill and caught a glimpse of the group. “Come on! Marinette needs our help!”

Mylene and Rose raced up the hill, but Kagami hesitated.

“You should talk to her,” Rose said softly. “We’ll go on ahead.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said. “She’s being held in a castle. That way.”

Rose nodded and headed off with Mylene. Adrien walked down the hill to his girlfriend.

“Are you coming?” he asked as soon as he was close to her.

She shook her head. “Marinette is Ladybug. She can handle herself. Why aren’t we dealing with the bigger threat?”

“You mean Hawkmoth?” he asked.

Kagami nodded. “I can’t understand why you’re trusting him to just hand over his Miraculous. Why not go back to the city and defeat him right now?”

Adrien couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course we don’t trust him.”

“But you—”

“We’ve gotta follow the story,” he said. “That means dealing with the Witch before the Wizard. Don’t worry, I don’t believe a word he says.”

“Still, if we defeat him while Marinette and the others deal with Lila, then we can be _done_ with Hawkmoth for good,” Kagami argued. “And then—you can be Chat Noir still, and you don’t _have_ to be her partner.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he said, his voice suddenly cold. He turned away from her and started to head back up the hill. “I promised Marinette I’d be back.”

She followed him, gently grabbing him by the wrist. “Wait! Please.”

He turned back to her, and she recoiled at the look in his eyes, the hard fire and anger they reflected. “What is _wrong_ with you?” he asked, practically spitting the words at her. “Marinette is your _friend_. You’re okay leaving her to _die_?”

“She won’t die,” Kagami tried to say. “She—”

“Lila _tried_ to kill her, right in front of me,” Adrien replied. His voice rose in volume as his anger grew. “You want me to just ignore that and stop being her partner? And for what? Because you’re _jealous_?”

“It’s not—”

“How many times do I have to say it before you realize, _I am not abandoning her!_”

“Then why did you choose _me_?!” she shot back, her voice betraying the pain she felt. “You love her so much, why did you let me think _I won_? What did you see in me then that you apparently can’t see now?”

He hesitated a moment, his glare softening into sorrow before he responded, “I don’t know.”

“I can’t keep putting aside my feelings just because she’s Ladybug,” Kagami said, her voice thick with tears she would not let fall. “Watching you run after her hurts me. Don’t you care?”

“Of _course_ I care,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. We can’t get out of here if I don’t work with Ladybug.”

She glanced away from him and muttered, “Nothing I say is going to matter, is it? Just go back to her, go save the day.”

“Kagami—”

She held up her sword, pointing it at him so he stopped in his tracks. “Just go!” she cried, still not looking at him.

He turned and ran back up the hill, leaving his girlfriend behind. She finally let herself cry.

**

“Where’s Kagami?” Rose asked when Adrien caught up with them.

“She didn’t want to come,” he muttered.

Rose moved into Adrien’s path and stopped, forcing him to stop as well. “Adrien Agreste! I have _had_ it with you!”

“We don’t have _time_ for this!” Adrien replied, trying to step around her. Mylene sat in his path, keeping him there.

“We are _making_ time for this!” Rose cried. “You are going to _stop_ playing those girls and make up your mind once and for all!”

Adrien laughed, though the sound was hollow. “Really? You’re concerned about my love life when Marinette’s in danger?”

“Marinette is strong enough to handle herself,” Rose replied, “but _not_ if you keep breaking her heart! And now you’re hurting Kagami, too? I am _sick_ of you hurting people!”

Mylene growled in agreement.

“I—I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” he said, taken aback by small girl shouting at him. “I just—why can’t I date Kagami and be Marinette’s friend? Why is that hurting them?”

“You _know_ why,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically harsh. “Think about it for more than five seconds for once!”

So he stepped back, and actually thought.

He knew, no matter what, he couldn’t give up his partner. Saving the world alongside Ladybug was the most important thing in his life. He’d thought Kagami could understand that, could accept that. But apparently, she couldn’t.

Marinette, on the other hand, had offered to step back so many times. She admitted to having feelings for him, and said she was trying to hold them back in the next breath. She’d _asked_ if he wanted to be her partner, accepted his answer—and he had no doubt that if he wanted out, she’d accept that as well.

“Marinette,” he said, all remaining doubts vanishing from his mind. “I—I have to save Marinette. Even if it means losing Kagami altogether. If I can’t have them both in my life—_I choose Marinette_.”

Rose smiled softly and placed her hand on his shoulder. “About time,” she said with a smile. “You really just needed a push to realize it, huh?”

Adrien nodded, smiling weakly. “Thank you, but—we still need to move. I can’t lose her again.”

“Of course!” Rose said, stepping out of the way. Mylene made a sort of purr sound and knelt down. “Oh! Mylene wants you to ride on her, I think. Get there faster.”

Mylene nodded in agreement.

Adrien’s smile grew wide. “Thank you, Mylene.” As he rode towards the castle, as fast as he could, he left all thoughts of Kagami behind. He raced towards Marinette, wanted to save _Marinette_.

Because, he finally realized, he loved Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your comments and kudos! You give me life


	13. Oh, What A World!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for discussion of suicide.

Marinette felt an odd sense of calm as she watched the hourglass drop grains of sand. She wasn’t particularly worried about escaping—she could, easily, as Lila hadn’t bothered to tie her back up—but instead, she was content to wait for Adrien to return.

She had plenty of time to think about the craziness that had been happening ever since she’d arrived and discovered Chat Noir’s identity. She had time to allow herself to stoke that ember of hope she’d been carrying, let herself think _maybe, just maybe_…

He’d kissed her forehead before he left. She’d thought, for just half a second, that it was going to be a different kind of kiss. But it was the forehead, and she didn’t know what that meant! Still, it felt nice, his lips on her skin, soft and loving.

It was just too _easy_ to imagine something more with him. After all, she knew what his hand felt like wrapped around hers. She knew what it was like to be held in his arms. She couldn’t help the mental image of looking into his eyes—into _Chat’s_ eyes, green sclera and all—and having him smile at her as he leaned closer, his lips just a whisper away from hers…

This was the part where she _should_ have stopped daydreaming, _should_ have forced her mind to other places instead of lingering on the boy she was supposed to be getting over. But instead, she stared idly at the hourglass, her mind full of dreams of Adrien, loving her, loving _only_ her.

She was roughly snapped out of her dreams by the last grain of sand dropping, leaving an unnatural stillness in the air.

Marinette stood up and glanced out the window of her prison. It was a little too far for her to jump, but if she just had her yo-yo…

Movement in the distance caught her eye, and she saw a…_something_ moving, _running_ towards the castle. She squinted, trying to see better, and realized it was _Mylene_, running on all fours, carrying Adrien and Rose on her back.

Kagami wasn’t with them, for some odd reason. That realization filled her with both hope and a guilty dread. What had happened to her friend?

**

The castle was guarded by Befana’s fairies, classmates and acquaintances with blank faces. They walked around the castle entrance in pairs, white eyes keeping watch.

Mylene stopped some yards away from the entrance, letting Adrien and Rose down to the ground. They crouched in bushes, just out of sight of the guards.

“We need to get past them,” Adrien muttered, watching the fairies patrol.

Rose nodded. “Do you have any ideas how?”

No, he didn’t. He turned his head to the side, like he expected to see Ladybug crouched there beside him, determination etched on her face as _she_ planned.

Of course, she wasn’t there—but that didn’t mean he could let her down.

“Mylene, cause a distraction,” he said. “Get their attention. Rose, you can perfume them, make them ignore us, and I’ll sneak inside to get Marinette.”

“What if the perfume doesn’t work?” Rose asked, her voice trembling slightly. “There’s a lot of them, and we don’t know how to fight…”

“It’ll work,” he promised, a confident grin on his face hiding the uncertainty he felt. “I’m Chat Noir, remember? I know what I’m doing.”

The girls nodded, and Adrien watched the fairies carefully until he saw a break in their patrols. He signaled to Mylene, who leapt out of the bushes with a booming roar.

The fairies turned to her and all rushed towards her, poised to attack. As soon as a group of them had gathered close, Rose stepped out from behind the bushes, her perfume bottle raised, and sprayed them all with one large cloud.

They didn’t say anything, but all the affected fairies did stop and fall to one knee, bowing before Princess Fragrance.

Adrien dashed behind the group of guards, weaving to avoid the cloud of perfume mist. He made it into the castle without being noticed, and ran up the first flight of stairs he saw before he realized he didn’t know _where_ Marinette was.

And then he heard a door slam, and he _ran_.

**

Lila slammed open the door to the room where Marinette was kept prisoner, so hard the walls rattled. She smiled cruelly.

“Time’s up,” she said. She played her flute and a knife with a long, sharp blade fell into her hand. “This’ll do.”

“You don’t really want to kill me,” Marinette said calmly. She kept her back to the wall, but her eyes flicked to the open door before she started to take small steps around the room. “You’re a liar, a bully, and a cruel person, but you’re not a _murderer_.”

“True,” Lila said, idly pressing her fingertip to the blade of the knife, feeling how deadly it could be. “But something about this place is changing my mind. And it’s not like I haven’t already wanted you dead, you know.”

Marinette felt a bitter coldness spread through her body, starting at her heart and freezing her insides with shock. “What?”

“I wasn’t planning on _killing_ you,” Lila said, taking a step towards her. “It’s just that if turning your friends against you, turning _Adrien_ against you, and getting you kicked out of school just so _happened_ to push you over the edge, I wasn’t going to lose any sleep towards it.”

“You’re _sick_,” she spat.

Lila just shrugged. “I had more plans, you know. You weaseled your way back into school by setting Adrien on me, but that just meant your locker was wide open for anonymous notes.” She held up the knife, miming writing as she mocked, “’No one wants you here.’ ‘You should just die.’ ‘Kill yourself.’”

Marinette glanced towards the door again, little tendrils of fear starting to creep into her mind. Something moved, out in the hallway, just enough to draw her focus for half a second, enough to ease that fear.

“Look at the bright side, though!” her tormenter said too happily, walking too close to her. “Once you’re gone, people might care about you again! I’m sure the city will be sad about losing their precious Ladybug—but who’s really going to care about little miss _nothing_ Marinette?”

She lifted the knife, but before she could plunge the blade down, a black gloved hand easily wrapped around the blade, crumbling it to a pile of rust. “I’ll care,” Adrien said. His voice was calm, but there was clear _rage_ in his eyes as Lila turned to look at him. She tried to back away, but he moved his hand to grab her wrist.

Marinette took the distraction to dart across the room and grab the hourglass. She prayed her instincts were correct as she tossed it up in the air and shouted, “Lucky Charm!”

A flash of light surrounded the hourglass, turning it into a bucket of water before it landed back into Marinette’s arms.

“Of course,” she muttered. She glanced at Adrien, who was squeezing Lila’s wrist so hard that the liar was wincing. “I don’t think I can _kill_ her…”

“You won’t,” Adrien assured her. He turned his head to smile at her, all anger vanishing from his expression. “It’s _your_ Lucky Charm, right? You’ve never killed anyone before, you’re not going to start now.”

Marinette nodded, determined, and _heaved_ the bucket of water, sending the liquid splashing over Lila.

“You know I’m not going to _melt_, right?” Lila snarled, finally wrenching her arm free. She tried to take a step forward but fell instead. She turned to see her feet stuck firmly to the floor, a layer of stone creeping up her body, covering her and immobilizing her.

Before the stone reached her neck, Marinette stepped forward and yanked the faux Fox Miraculous off of her. Soon after, Lila’s face was covered with the stone, turning her into nothing more than a statue, sprawled on the ground, looking small and pathetic.

Marinette stepped back from the statue, breathing a sigh of relief. She turned towards Adrien and quickly moved towards him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I knew you’d come back.”

He held her close, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, his arms keeping her close to his chest. “Of course I did,” he said, his voice soft, the words more difficult to form as all he wanted to do was _scream_ his love for her. “I’ll always be here for you, my Lady.”

She shifted her head to look him in the eyes. “My knight in shining leather,” she teased with a smile.

“My Princess,” he whispered, his hand cupping her cheek, his eyes fluttering closed as he leaned even closer to her, her breath dancing on his lips…

Marinette stepped back, her heart beating wildly. “Wh-where are the others?” she asked wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

“Mylene and Rose are outside, distracting the guards,” Adrien replied. He carefully schooled his expression, not letting any disappointment show. “They’ve got it handled.”

“And Kagami?”

Hearing her name was like a bucket of ice water. Adrien couldn’t help the bitterness that entered his voice when he replied, “She didn’t come. She went back to Hawkmoth.”

Marinette’s brow furrowed. “You mean to fight him? Alone?”

He nodded. “She…thought it would be better to split up.”

“What?!” she cried. “We’ve gotta get back there _now_!” She raced out of the room, making sure to grab the red and black spotted water bucket. Adrien followed close behind, reaching for her, but not quite able to grab her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so the update schedule on this and my other works is going to be more erratic for a little while--I'm getting married (!!!!) in a week and so I'm gonna be busy!
> 
> follow me on tumblr @ghostlyhamburger for updates if you want, or just know that I'll be back soon!


	14. I Want To Go Home Now

Marinette and Adrien raced out of the castle to find Mylene and Rose standing together, Rose telling some story to Mylene, while the fairies all dutifully knelt behind them.

“Marinette!” Rose exclaimed. “You’re okay!”

“I am,” she replied with a relieved smile. She ran forward and hugged Rose, and then wrapped her arms around Mylene as much as she could in another embrace.

Mylene nuzzled her head against her shoulder, giving a happy growl.

“We need to get going,” Marinette said. “Mylene—are you able to carry all of us? You can go faster, but if you can’t, that’s okay, but—”

Mylene made a small noise somewhat like a bark, silencing Marinette, before she smiled and nodded, leaning forward so the three could climb onto her back.

“Great!” Marinette said, getting on. “We need to head back to the Emerald City and help Kagami!”

Rose climbed up to sit in front of Marinette, and Adrien sat directly behind her. His arms wrapped tight around her waist as they traveled, and as Mylene made one particularly big leap, Marinette found herself leaning back against Adrien’s chest, his chin resting on her shoulder, his cheek pressed against hers.

“Doing all right, my Lady?” he murmured, and she could only squeak in response.

Nothing had changed, she had to remind herself. Adrien was still dating Kagami and she was still the one with an inappropriate crush on her friend. It didn’t matter that he was holding her so close that she could feel his heartbeat, or that she’d been _sure_ he was going to kiss her back in the castle.

She had to be _careful_ with him so close, or she’d make a mistake and would lose him as a friend. Still, she couldn’t help the thrill that zipped through her when Adrien readjusted his arms and held her even tighter.

**

They arrived at the gates of the Emerald City to find Kagami standing there, arguing with Alya.

“I _can’t_ let you in alone!” Alya cried. “I know you’ve got a good reason, but I literally cannot open the door until it’s the right time!”

“Then tell me another way in!” Kagami replied, anger clear in her voice.

Alya sighed exasperatedly, and then perked up when she saw the approaching group. “Hey guys! Did you win?”

Marinette nodded, pulling herself away from Adrien as soon as she could. “That girl is even crazier than I thought, but yeah, we won.”

“Awesome!” Alya replied. “I’ll just get the door open for you, then.”

Kagami huffed, which drew Adrien’s attention. He dismounted and approached her carefully. “Uh, hey, Kagami? Can I talk to you before we go in?”

She didn’t respond, just looked at Adrien curiously. Mylene led Rose and Marinette into the city, giving the two the privacy they needed.

Kagami watched as her boyfriend’s eyes followed Marinette, and she noticed the soft smile he wore. When he turned back to her and opened his mouth, starting to speak, she just held up her hand. “Don’t.”

“What?” he asked.

“I know what you want,” she said, forcing herself to stay calm, not letting her voice shake. “I’m not blind, Adrien, I see how you look at her.”

He frowned, looking genuinely concerned for her in a way that just made her heart _wrench_ in her chest. “I’m really sorry,” he said softly. “I—”

“Please, just—don’t,” she interrupted him. “Not now. We still have to figure a way out of here and I—Adrien, please just wait until we’re home.”

He nodded, but his expression grew hard. “I won’t change my mind, you know.”

“I know,” she said softly. “I know when to concede, don’t worry. I’m just—I’m sorry I can’t be the girl you need me to be.”

Adrien frowned. He stepped towards her and gently hugged her close. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he assured her. “I’m so—I’m sorry.”

She pulled back from his embrace, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter. We should go deal with Hawkmoth, shouldn’t we?”

**

The group headed back into the hall where they had met Hawkmoth previously. The butterflies formed a large face once again, who smiled as the teens entered.

“Hello again,” he said. “I assume you’ve won?”

Marinette pulled the fake Fox Miraculous from a pocket in her dress and dangled it for Hawkmoth to see. “Give us your Miraculous, and let us go home!” she cried. “We held up our end of the deal.”

Hawkmoth just chuckled. “I did say I would give you my Miraculous—but _first_, I will need yours.”

Marinette just sighed. “Should’ve known better than to trust _you_.”

“I’m not lying, my dear children,” he replied. “The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses can grant any wish—once I have that, I have no need for my own Miraculous anymore.”

“Any wish _you_ want would come at a terrible price!” she cried. She reached to her hip reflexively, her fingers grasping nothing but air where her yo-yo should have been.

“Of course,” Hawkmoth sighed, “I knew dealing with _teenagers_ wouldn’t be simple.” The cloud of butterflies dispersed suddenly, diving towards the group and swarming around them. Marinette and her friends quickly found that the wings were _sharp_, scratching against their skin.

Kagami swung her sword, making the butterflies she cut disappear in a puff of purple smoke. Mylene roared and bared her teeth, biting at the butterflies while Rose cowered behind her. Marinette kept her hands up to defend herself, grabbing and vanishing individual insects when she could.

Curiously, none of the butterflies seemed interested in Adrien. He watched the scene with narrowed eyes, knowing something was wrong—this wasn’t the way the story went.

He noticed a small curtained-off area in the back of the room, a purple curtain that was just large enough to hide a person behind it. He strode across the room, cat ears flattened against his head, and _ripped_ the curtain from its hanging, revealing Hawkmoth, directing his butterflies, familiar purple outline glowing around his eyes—his _unmasked_ eyes.

A thousand emotions flooded away from Adrien—anger, sadness, guilt, confusion, _pain_. “Father?” he asked, his voice barely audible.

To his horror, Hawkmoth—_his father_—only smiled. “Hello, Adrien,” he said, before holding out his hand expectantly. “You can make this easy, you know.”

Adrien backed away, the emotions in his mind coalescing into one—pure, unadulterated _rage_. His father had ignored him, hurt him, hurt _Marinette, _and still expected him to behave? He balled his hands into fists, the rage bubbling up until he had to _scream_.

“_CATACLYSM!”_


	15. The Man Behind the Curtain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um
> 
> I'm sorry

Adrien’s cry drew the attention of everyone else in the room. Even the butterflies seemed to stop for a moment.

Marinette and Kagami were the ones to rush over to him with no hesitation. Kagami had her sword raised, ready to strike Gabriel, but Marinette ran to Adrien and grabbed his safe arm, stopping him from running towards his father.

“Let me go,” Adrien said, his voice almost a growl. Tears were spilling down his cheeks now, unnoticed. “He’s a _monster!_ Let me _go!_”

“No!” Marinette cried. “He is a monster, but if you do this—you don’t want that guilt, Adrien!”

“Listen to her,” Kagami said, not taking her eyes off Gabriel as he drew a sword from his cane. “I can handle him. You should never have to fight family.”

Adrien cried out wordlessly, slamming his hand onto the floor. The tiles crumbled, revealing dirt and cement beneath. He seemed to crumble as well, collapsing against the floor, against Marinette who sat beside him, letting him cry onto her shoulder.

Gabriel sniffed, the small sound enough to convey disappointment. “So _emotional_, Adrien. Just like your mother. Did it never occur to you that I have a good reason for doing this? That I’m doing this for our family?”

Kagami stepped closer, placing the point of her sword against Gabriel’s throat. “Shut up,” she said icily.

“The Miraculouses can bring back your mother, Adrien,” he continued, ignoring the blade. “We can bring her back and set everything right again.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Marinette warned. “Bringing back a life—that means taking one in return.”

Adrien glanced up at that, his tears gone, his eyes hard with fury. He looked to his father and asked, “Who was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who were you going to sacrifice?”

Gabriel smiled again, that cruel, victorious smile. “I would sacrifice _anyone_ to be with Emilie again.”

“Even Nathalie?” Adrien questioned. “Even me?”

Gabriel hesitated, just for half a second, but that was enough time for Adrien to cast his head down again, enough time for Kagami to push her blade forward, drawing a bead of blood on Gabriel’s throat.

Gabriel swung his sword, batting Kagami’s blade aside. “You are an excellent fencer for your age, my dear Kagami, but do you really think you can defeat me?”

“I can,” she replied, settling into a fighting stance. “Adrien should not have your blood on his hands—but I have no hesitation about harming you.”

Adrien watched as Kagami fought his father, the clash of swords ringing out through the large room. Abruptly, he stood and practically ran, needing to leave the sight behind, needing space from _everything_.

Marinette followed him. Kagami could handle Gabriel, and Mylene and Rose were easily fighting off the butterflies. But her partner _needed_ her.

“Chaton?” she asked as the large grand door to the room shut behind her. “I’m here if you need to talk…”

Adrien was sitting on the ground, knees to his chest, back to the wall. He stared straight ahead, a haunted look in his eyes. “He was…he was okay with…”

“Oh, _Adrien_,” Marinette murmured, sitting beside her partner and wrapping her arms around him. “I’m so sorry…”

“Is that all I meant to him?” he asked softly, his voice hollow. “Just a pawn?”

She paused, unable to answer him honestly. Taking another look at his tear-stricken face, however, she knew she had to say _something_. “You mean so much more to so many people. Kagami cares about you, and you’ve got your friends, and we’d all be _devastated_ if anything happened to you. You’re _important_, Adrien.”

He turned to look at her and asked, “What about you? Do you care?”

“Of course I do!” she replied, hugging him close. She pulled back and placed a hand on his cheek before softly murmuring, “I love you, Adrien. You mean the world to me, and I will always, _always_ be here for you.”

He smiled slightly, his head tilting into her hand, into her touch. “Even though my father’s a supervillain?”

“I’m sorry to say this, but your dad is the _worst_,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean anything about you. You are your own person, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re the kindest, nicest, most _amazing_ person there is.” She smiled at him, beaming at him, and then suddenly jerked her hand back, blushing red.

His smile grew as he took Marinette’s hand in his own. “Can I kiss you?” he asked suddenly.

Her cheeks turned even redder, but she didn’t look away from him, instead letting her gaze meet his. He couldn’t resist a quick glance at her lips, half parted, pink and soft. He leaned towards her—he loved her, she loved him, everything just seemed _right—_

“No,” she said softly, pulling back.

He looked down at the floor again. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I thought—”

Her hand was at his cheek again, gently turning his head to face her. “That’s not it, Chaton,” she murmured. “If—if _any other time_ you’d asked me that, I wouldn’t hesitate. I just—it’s not the right time.”

“Then what is it?” he asked. Marinette’s heart sank as she saw the raw pain on his face, the tears welling up in his eyes again.

“There’s a _lot_ happening all at once,” she replied. “Your dad is Hawkmoth, you’re dating Kagami…I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later. You’re my _friend_, Adrien. You’re my _partner_. And I know my partner, my Chaton, doesn’t need anything more complicated being thrown in right now.”

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I—you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” she said, daring to quirk her lips into a smile. “How about this—if you still want to kiss me when we get out of this crazy mess, you don’t even have to ask. But you—_we_ have to wait until then.”

He nodded, and she leaned close, hugging him tight, her cheek pressed against his.

“Don’t you dare think for a second that this means anything bad about you,” she murmured. “I’m asking you to wait _because_ I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispered softly. She froze, just for a moment, but didn’t move away. Instead, she brought her hand to the back of his head, gently carding her fingers through his hair. He relaxed, pressing more of his body weight against her as he went boneless, actually _purring_ at her touch.

She really hoped that he still wanted to kiss her after this was all over. Being responsible was driving her _crazy_, when she could just be _kissing the love of her life_ instead.

But as he turned to putty beneath her gentle petting, she knew she’d made the right call. They’d have to go back, face Hawkmoth, face reality in a few minutes, but she could take some time to let Adrien relax first.


	16. You Force Me Into a Cataclysmic Decision

“We need to get back in there,” Marinette said suddenly, drawing back from Adrien. The tears on his cheeks had dried, and his breathing had calmed.

He nodded slowly. “We have to deal with _him_.”

“What do you want to do?” she asked as she stood up.

He stayed on the ground a moment longer, thinking. Then he rose to his feet, glanced at Marinette with big, pleading eyes, and asked, “Can you figure it out? I just—I don’t know if I trust myself right now as much as I trust you.”

“Of course,” she said softly, “but tell me if I’m doing something wrong.”

As soon as they entered back into the large room, Rose ran towards them and gave Adrien a hug, wrapping him in her tiny arms as much as she could.

The butterflies had stopped attacking, and it was clear why: Kagami had Gabriel Agreste on his knees, her sword against his throat, his sword knocked far out of his reach. She looked at Adrien when he entered and asked in a cold voice, “Do you want to end this?”

Adrien flinched, and Marinette stepped forward, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “Come on, Kagami, don’t take this too far. He might be a terrible person, but he’s still a _person_.”

Kagami ignored her, still looking at Adrien. He didn’t respond to her, but instead walked beside her, staring down his father.

“Did you ever care?” he asked, his voice small, hesitant. His glare hardened as he asked again, “Did you ever even give a _shit_ about me, besides what I could do _for you_?”

Gabriel’s face softened, genuine agony showing as he responded, “Of course I care about you. You’re my _son_.”

“But you’d be _happy_ to get rid of me if it meant getting Mom back,” Adrien accused.

“I would never do that!” Gabriel retorted, but his reply came a moment too late. That little bit of hesitation was enough to make Adrien turn his back on him and walk away from his father.

Kagami pressed the blade of her sword into Gabriel’s neck, her eyes narrowed. “You don’t deserve him.”

“Kagami!” Marinette said sharply. “Don’t hurt him. He’s not worth it.”

She walked over to Adrien and set a hand on his shoulder. He moved his own hand over hers, but couldn’t quite look at her.

“Can I have your belt?” she asked quietly.

He nodded, pulling his belt tail away from his costume and placing it in her outstretched hand. She walked back to Gabriel and tied the belt around his hands, restraining him.

Kagami finally lowered her sword. “Tell us how to get home,” she demanded.

He hesitated before finally replying, “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Marinette asked. “We did what you said. We defeated Lila, you should have control over your akuma again.”

“It seems I was mistaken about where the akuma went,” Gabriel admitted through gritted teeth. “I still don’t have control.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, but she tried to hide her surprise as she turned away from the villain, walking over to Adrien instead. She didn’t say anything, but let him take her hand in his as she just stared blankly at the wall.

“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted in a whisper. “I don’t—I don’t know how to get home.”

He slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, accepting the comfort.

Neither of them noticed Kagami pointedly looking away.

“The—the wizard couldn’t get Dorothy home,” Adrien said. Remembering a story, remembering facts, was helping to ground him, keep him stable. “It was the shoes. Click the heels and say there’s no place like home.”

Marinette glanced down at her feet, where she still wore the ruby red and onyx spotted slippers. She stood on her toes and pushed her heels together. “There’s no place like home?”

Nothing happened.

She threw a hand up in the air like she was throwing her lucky charm and tentatively called, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The room stayed as it was, still and silent.

“What now?” Rose asked suddenly, breaking the silence. “Can we get home?”

Marinette bit her lip, her breaths coming quickly as anxiety started to overtake her. Adrien grabbed her hand again, and said to Rose, “We’re figuring it out.” He turned his gaze back to Marinette and added, “It’s going to be fine.”

She nodded, whispering, “Thank you.”

“I’ve got you,” he said in a low voice. “You’re there for me, so I’m here for you.”

She smiled at him, gripping his hand tightly.

Suddenly, a beam of light poured into the room, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When it dissipated, there was another person standing there beside Gabriel.

She was unfamiliar, wearing a pink ballgown and a tall star-studded crown on her head. She carried a long silver wand with an open book figure at one end. Her hair was blonde with a single pink streak that hung over one eye. Her skin was covered with ink, printed text that wrapped around her face, her arms.

Rose gasped and ran towards the figure, embracing her tightly. “Juleka! You’re okay!”

Juleka smiled slightly at Rose, but the smile faded as she glanced around the room. “I—I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter!


	17. No Place Like Home

“I’m sorry,” Juleka said, looking at everyone. Her grip on her wand tightened, and she had to turn away from their gazes, glancing down at the ground. “I—I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!”

“It’s not your fault!” Rose said fiercely, still holding her girlfriend in a tight embrace. “It’s Hawkmoth’s fault you got akumatized!”

Gabriel chuckled from his bound position on the floor. “I’m not the one who lost control of my emotions.”

A loud _SMACK!_ rang out through the room as Kagami slapped Gabriel across the face. “I have wanted to do that since I _met_ you,” she spat.

Marinette couldn’t help but snort out a short laugh before giving Adrien an apologetic smile. He just shrugged and muttered, “Can’t say he doesn’t deserve that.”

“I just felt so bad for Marinette,” Juleka murmured, still unable to look up. “I just—I thought you deserved a happy ending, a storybook ending.”

“So we ended up in a book,” Marinette said.

Juleka nodded. She held out her wand, offering it to the heroes. “The akuma’s in here. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Adrien was the one to approach her and take the wand. He easily broke it in half, causing a black butterfly to flit out, circling the room in confusion.

Marinette reached to her hip on instinct, and gasped when her yo-yo was actually _there_. She grabbed it and threw it in a practiced motion, catching the butterfly to purify it.

She cast the Miraculous cure, and ladybugs swarmed around the area, turning akumas back into people, transporting everyone to the courtyard of the school.

Mylene stood up from where she was crouching on all fours, and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m human again!” she cried joyfully. “It feels so good to _talk_ again!”

Marinette, masked again as Ladybug now, walked over to her, a small smile on her face. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I don’t know how I would’ve survived without friends by my side.”

She hugged Mylene, and waved over Rose. The short girl dragged Juleka to them, pulling her into the embrace until they were just one large group hug.

“So what are you going to do about Adrien?” Mylene asked in a low voice, making sure Adrien—Chat Noir now—couldn’t hear.

Ladybug shrugged. “I have no idea. There’s just—so much happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Juleka said again, and the group hug shifted so that everyone’s focus was on _her_, holding her tight and assuring her she did nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, Kagami approached Adrien. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” Adrien asked. “I was the one who couldn’t make up my mind. You have every right to be mad at me.”

“Still,” Kagami replied. “I know what it’s like to have a parent that just sees you as…”

“As a pawn,” he finished for her. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised about it.”

She nodded. “I’ll be here for you _any_ time you need me,” she promised in a soft voice, placing her hand on his forearm.

Ladybug pulled away from her friends and walked over to Hawkmoth. She grabbed the Miraculous from his chest, ripping the brooch away from him. He transformed back to Gabriel Agreste and hung his head.

“Rose, make sure Juleka’s okay,” Ladybug directed, steel in her voice. “Mylene, call the police. Tell them we’ve got Hawkmoth.”

The girls nodded, and Rose hugged Juleka tight as Mylene pulled out her phone. “They’ll be here in ten minutes,” she said.

Ladybug nodded, and then said in a soft voice, “Tikki, spots off.”

Even though everyone present _knew_ Ladybug was Marinette, _seeing_ the transformation seemed to finalize that fact. Chat watched her, mouth agape, as every little hint he’d ever seen about Ladybug, every question he had about Marinette, suddenly clicked into place in the back of his mind.

_He_ was always the other boy. They’d been running around in _circles_, chasing each other without realizing it.

He wanted to run to her, kiss her, hold her close as he declared his love for her. But Kagami’s hand was still on his arm, stopping him, so all he could do was say, “Plagg, claws in.”

Once freed, Plagg and Tikki flew to Hawkmoth’s brooch in Marinette’s hand. They both touched it lightly and closed their eyes, letting some silent communication pass. Finally, Tikki said, “Nooroo’s in here. He’s safe.”

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s really over.”

Tikki shook her head. “Mayura is still out there. You still need to rescue Dusuu!”

Gabriel chuckled. “As long as she still has that Miraculous, you’ll never win. I _will_ have my wish!”

“Kagami, can you slap him again?” Marinette asked. She grabbed her purse from her side, dropping the brooch in there and pulling out two cookies. “Plagg, Tikki, we’ll need to be transformed when the police show up.”

Both kwamis nodded and accepted the cookies.

“Um, Marinette?” Rose asked timidly. “When you’re done with the police—can I meet your little creature thing? It looks so cute!”

Tikki smiled as she ate.

Marinette glanced over at Adrien. Familiar nerves tightened in her stomach, but she pushed them aside as she said, “You—you can go somewhere else, if you want, if it’s too much. I can handle this.”

He shook his head as he walked over to her. “I’m your partner. I’m not letting you handle _anything_ alone.”

“How _touching_,” Gabriel muttered sarcastically.

Plagg swallowed the last bite of his cookie before flying over to the man, floating directly in his face. “You are one of the _worst_ human beings I’ve ever known. The kid didn’t deserve being stuck with someone like _you_, and I am _never letting you hurt him again_.”

“You can’t do anything to me,” Gabriel said calmly. “I’ve dealt with kwamis before, and I know your power is limited.”

“I am a _god_,” Plagg growled. “The only reason you’re _alive_ right now is because I won’t put the kid through that. If you think you understand kwamis after _torturing_ Nooroo, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”

“Plagg,” Adrien said suddenly, “Claws out.” He walked over to his father as he transformed back into Chat Noir.

“There’s still time to change, Adrien,” he said. “You have half of what it takes to bring back your mother.”

He shook his head. “I’ve already mourned her. I’m not going to lose anyone else.”

Gabriel frowned. “Your emotions always did make you weak.”

“I’m _not_ weak,” Chat Noir said, his hands clenched in fists, his eyes screwed tight. “I—I kept hoping that you would change, that you would be a _normal_ parent, but you won’t. You _can’t_. And I deserved better family than _you_.”

The faint sound of police sirens pierced the air. Chat turned away from his father as Ladybug transformed once again, waiting for the end.


	18. And You Were There

Ladybug led the police to the defeated Gabriel Agreste, and they hauled him into a squad car to take him to be held in prison.

It was actually rather anti-climactic for the months of terror that he’d put the city through, that he’d be arrested just like any normal person, but Ladybug was not going to complain about having one less thing to worry about.

It was finally over. There were definitely loose ends that needed to be tied up, but finally, _finally_ she could breathe.

“Pound it?” she said, half-heartedly holding out her fist to Chat Noir.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, my Lady, I—”

“I get it,” she said, lowering her hand. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but—you don’t have to apologize for having conflicted emotions right now.”

He gave her a grateful smile, and then said, “I should get home. Nathalie’s definitely worried about me, and the police will probably be heading there next.”

“Of course,” Ladybug said.

Chat dropped his transformation, secure in the knowledge that no new people had entered the courtyard to discover his secret. He glanced at Kagami and asked, “Would you mind coming with me?”

She nodded and walked towards him. He smiled at her, and their hands brushed together as they walked out of the school.

Ladybug watched this and felt her heart crumble. Of course he’d go back to her. Of course he’d want his girlfriend now that it was all over. She’d opened up her heart to him again and got _nothing_ in return.

Except, now he knew about her crush and was most definitely going to treat her differently now, the one thing she _did not want_.

She kept a smile plastered on her face until Adrien and Kagami were out of sight.

“Marinette,” Rose called to her. “Will you be all right?”

“Of course!” she said, her voice far too peppy to be convincing. “I’m fine! Why would you even ask?” She started laughing, gasping laughs that weren’t too far off from sobs.

She abruptly stopped herself by swinging her yo-yo to get _away_ from there, find some other place to be alone and process.

**

“You know what this is, right?” Adrien said to Kagami as they walked.

She nodded. “I’m sorry, but—I need you to say the words. I need to be sure.”

He sighed and stopped in his tracks to face her. “I think we need to break up.”

Kagami pursed her lips, her expression betraying no surprise. “I wish it hadn’t come to this.”

“Honestly, so do I,” Adrien replied. “You’re a great girl, and I’m lucky to have been with you at all, but—she’s my partner. I _can’t_ be without her.”

“I know,” she said softly. “I can see it.”

“I still want to be friends, though,” he said with a hopeful smile.

She took a moment to study his expression, seeing nothing but honesty in his eyes. She allowed herself to smile. “We _are_ friends,” she said. “No matter what, you’re important to me.”

His smile grew wider, into that grin that she’d first fell in love with. A pang of hurt shot through her heart, but she forced herself to stay smiling, ignoring the feeling.

She would not be a sore loser. She would accept this and move on.

“I, uh—I’d still like some company at home,” Adrien said, starting to walk again. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know Nathalie will allow you there. I’m not sure anyone else would…”

“I understand,” Kagami said. “I will be by your side.”

There was _no way_ she would lose Adrien’s friendship. Not now, not when he needed her.

They walked the rest of the distance in silence. Adrien swallowed hard as they approached, seeing a police car pulled up past the gates.

“You’re going to be all right,” Kagami assured him.

He had no reason to believe that besides her words, but he chose to believe it anyways.


	19. It Wasn’t A Dream

When Chat Noir went out for patrol that night, Ladybug didn’t join him.

Maybe she’d decided to cancel? It had been an exhausting day, to be sure, so he couldn’t blame her for wanting rest. The main reason he’d decided to go out was to avoid being in his house, where he was just as alone as always—but the loneliness felt different this time.

Still—if Ladybug was going to cancel patrol, she’d leave him a message. She never just ignored him, unless something was wrong.

So Chat leapt across the rooftops in the direction of Marinette’s house. What was going on with his Lady?

**

Marinette sat out on her balcony sketching some new designs. For all the hell that trip to Oz had been, it was definitely a great source of inspiration.

She didn’t want to transform and patrol. She’d spent enough time being Ladybug. Besides, she was expecting Chat to take some time off—there was no more Hawkmoth to deal with, and he suddenly had family drama she couldn’t begin to understand.

He had Kagami to help him deal with it, anyways.

Which is why she was surprised when the leather-clad hero dropped onto her balcony.

“I thought you’d be home,” she said in an even voice, not letting her emotions show.

“We had patrol,” he replied, making himself comfortable on the ledge, crossing his legs as he sat. “You didn’t say anything to cancel it.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. I just kind of assumed you wouldn’t want to?”

He shrugged, giving her a grin. “It’s all right. I just worried about you.”

Marinette couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face, or the incredulous laugh that snorted out of her nose. “Worried about me? Why?”

“Because you weren’t there.”

She stood from the lounge chair, setting aside her sketchbook as she crossed to Chat. “I thought—never mind. I’m sorry, chaton.” She set her hand against his cheek, and he leaned into the touch.

He closed his eyes and smiled slightly as he nuzzled against her palm.

“So do you—” Marinette started to say, but she bit her tongue.

“Do I what?” Chat asked, not opening his eyes.

“Never mind,” she said softly. “I—you don’t need to tell me anything. I’m just being nosy.”

He pulled back, his eyes fluttering open so he could look directly at her. “No, what is it?”

“What’s going to happen to you now?” she asked softly, dropping her hand. “Are—are you staying in Paris? At school?”

Chat nodded. “Nothing’s really changing, actually. Nathalie’s my guardian now, but I saw more of her than my father anyways.”

Marinette frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said flippantly. “I’m used to it.”

Her eyes widened in shock, and she abruptly leaned forward, throwing her arms around him. He hesitantly returned the embrace, enjoying the closeness. She pulled back just as quickly, though.

“So nothing’s changing,” she said. “I mean, I saw you and Kagami—it’s fine. I’m just glad I can still be your friend.”

“And partner?” he asked hopefully. “Since there’s no more Hawkmoth, I—I understand if you want the Miraculous back.”

“Chaton, _no_,” she said firmly. “I told you, I will _never_ take that from you—unless _you’re_ done being Chat Noir. I still need you—we still need to find Mayura.”

Chat cracked a smile. “I wasn’t sure you still meant it.”

She shook her head. “I mean everything I said there. I won’t lie to you, ever.”

His smile became more of a grin, more teasing behind his eyes. “_Everything_ you said?”

She nodded. When had his arms around her tightened? When had she gotten so close to him, close enough to see his pupils blown wide, feel his breath against her cheek?

“So when you said if I wanted to kiss you again,” he murmured, leaning somehow even closer. His lips just barely brushed hers as he spoke.

“What about Kagami?” she asked. She took a step back, but remained in his arms.

“We broke up,” he replied, moving with her, standing from the ledge. “I realized—she’s not the girl I love.”

He could see the moment she put the dots together, the way her eyes lit up and she smiled. He took that moment to _finally _close the distance between them, pressing his lips against hers in a soft and perfect kiss.

“I love you,” she whispered when they parted. “I—you’re _everything_ to me, Adrien.”

“I love you, my Lady,” he murmured, kissing her again. “My Princess, my Bugaboo…” Another kiss, his lips soft and warm against hers. “My—my _Marinette, I love you_.”

She drew in a breath, a gasping sob. “Oh, _Adrien_,” she said, emotion overwhelming her as she kissed him again, pressing herself to him, keeping her arms tight around him.

He held her close for a while longer, long enough that the lights in the bakery downstairs went off and the city went quiet. They exchanged soft kisses and sweet words, enjoying the other’s company.

Holding Marinette in his arms felt _right_. He was safe, he was loved, he was wanted. He was—home.

And there’s no place like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story! I wasn't sure about it when I started, but your comments and kudos absolutely kept me going to the end!

**Author's Note:**

> It's a weird idea that I've had running around in my head, but I'm excited to tackle something different. Let me know if you want to see where this goes!


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